Posts tagged cancer

Camp Offers Fun, Support for Kids of Adults with Cancer

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3 weeks ago
by admin in

With literally more than a million cancer cases a year in the U.S., the special emotional needs of children of adult cancer patients are sometimes overlooked.

That’s why Camp Kesem, a national nonprofit program, created a college-student-run summer camp for kids with a parent who has or has had cancer.

The one-week camps give kids ages 6-13 a chance to have a fun-filled week and “just be kids” and get extra attention and support, according the group’s website.

Since 2001, Camp Kesem has grown from a single camp to 37 active chapters in 22 states.

Camp Kesem Berkeley (Calif.), for example, supports children in the Greater Bay Area and Tri-Valley area by putting on a completely free week-long overnight summer camp for children and teens (ages 6-16) who have a parent that either has or had cancer or has passed away from cancer. The group buses from Berkeley to the Santa Cruz mountains for activities such as kayaking, drama programs, arts and crafts, cooking and science, archery, rock-climbing, and more.

Check out this video about the camp. Applications and more information are currently available at the Camp Kesem Berkeley website or the national organization’s website.

New Research Targets Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Health

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3 weeks ago
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The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has published “The Science of Research on Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Health,” a supplement to the American Journal of Public Health, to highlight the need for and state of empirical research on racial/ethnic discrimination and its association with the health and health care received by minorities.

The issue opens with an article that reviews current measures, research approaches, data resources, and results of research on race/ethnicity-based health care discrimination, and goes on to focus on measurement, implicit bias, perception of discrimination and institutional racism, while also suggesting areas for future research.

The issue can serve as a valuable resource for researchers in this topic area and will help position researchers, policymakers, and professionals at all levels of health care to address the effects of discrimination in the evolving health care environment.

Access free full texts of the issue’s article here.

ROUNDUP: Upcoming Cancer-Related Conferences

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3 months ago
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Check out these upcoming conferences on Latino health and cancer health disparities issues:

Health Disparities Conference: March 6-8, 2012
Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy’s Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education will host its Fifth Health Disparities Conference March 6-8, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference, titled Achieving Health Equity through Access, Advocacy, Treatment, and Policy Development, will include discussions on successful multidisciplinary models for improved health systems outcomes.

NIH Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation: March 19-20, 2012
The 5th Annual NIH Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation: Science at the Crossroads is scheduled March 19-20, 2012 in Bethesda, Maryland. The goal of the conference is to facilitate growth in the research base by providing a forum for communicating and networking about the science of dissemination and implementation.

AACR 2012 Annual Meeting: March 31-April 4, 2012
The American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2012, scheduled March 31 to April 4 in Chicago will highlight the latest findings in all major areas of cancer research. Investigators in various disciplines will attend and benefit from hearing about these advances and networking with colleagues. The conference theme, Accelerating Science: Concept to Clinic, emphasizes the synergy among basic, clinical and translational research that will continue to lead to effective cancer therapies and prevention strategies.

NHMA 16th Annual Conference: April 26-29, 2012
The National Hispanic Medical Association will host its 16th Annual Conference April 26-29, 2012 in Washington D.C. Theme of the conference is Innovations that Improve the Health of Hispanics, Families and Communities.

VIDEO: Reaching Border-Area Latina Moms and Daughters to Prevent Cervical Cancer

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3 months ago
by admin in ,

Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina, a professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, is promoting the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer in South Texas.

Her project, Entre Madre e Hija, trains peer educators to provide outreach and education about HPV—the virus that causes cervical cancer—and navigation support to both mothers and daughters (ages 11-17) who decide to receive the HPV vaccine.

The peer educators have reached more than 1,800 women so far.

“Our outreach efforts have been very successful,” Dr. Parra-Medina said. “We have found many young girls that have initiated the vaccine but have not completed the three-dose series. As a result, our efforts now include a focus on increasing compliance with the 3 dose series as well.”

IHPR researchers Drs. Daisy Morales Campos and Cynthia Mojica are co-investigators on Entre Madres. The project is funded by the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas.

Find out more in this video.

U.S. Cancer Rates Keep Falling; Biggest Decline Among Hispanic, Black Men

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4 months ago
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A new report from the American Cancer Society indicates that cancer death rates are continuing to fall, dropping by 1.8% per year in men and 1.6% per year in women between 2004 and 2008, thanks to advances in cancer screening and treatment, Reuters reports.

While the rate of decline is small, experts say, it is significant because it has continued to fall each year in the past 10.

Cancer death rates among Hispanic men (2.3%) and black men (2.4%) had the biggest declines.

But the news is not all good. According to the Reuters report:

Despite improvements in the most common cancers, a companion report found an increase in cases of several cancers over the past decade, Reuters. These included cancers of the pancreas, liver, thyroid, and kidney and melanoma, as well as esophageal cancer and certain types of throat cancers associated with human papillomavirus or HPV infection.

That report found cases of HPV-related throat cancer and melanoma rose only in whites, and rates of esophageal cancer rose in both whites and Hispanics.

Experts say obesity and early detection may play a role in the rise of these cancer types.

LIVESTRONG iPad App Helps People Manage, Track Cancer Experience

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6 months ago
by admin in

LIVESTRONG recently announced the creation of an iPad App to help people manage their cancer experience.

The app, called LIVESTRONG Cancer Guide App + Tracker, lets you store and access information relevant to your treatment and survivorship electronically to your iPad. The tracker helps you track your daily symptoms, provides space for you to journal your experience, keep track of important records and contact information. The app’s Cancer Guide will help you know what to expect, learn what questions to ask, and connect to resources.

Read more about the app or watch a video here or below:

IHPR Researcher Promotes Cancer Education in South Texas

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6 months ago
by admin in ,
Dora Alicia Gonzalez

IHPR project coordinator Dora Alicia Gonzalez (left) distributed cancer education materials at the "Relentless for a Cure" health fair and fundraiser May 28, 2011, in Brownsville, Texas, for 3-year-old Josh Marks (center, with his mother, Audra, a South Texan who is undergoing treatment for leukemia.

In the late 1980s, Dora Alicia Gonzalez helped do one of the first assessments of socioeconomics and health care locations in her native Brownsville, Texas.

She even helped write a 300-page report—page by page—on a typewriter.

Gonzalez said the experience, even despite its arduous typing task, sparked her interest in public health and improving the lives of the underserved.

Over the last 20 years she has helped meet the needs of uninsured residents as part of a primary health care agency, and also fostered community-based partnerships and developed and implemented cancer education training sessions along the Texas-Mexico border for the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Today, Gonzalez builds community health as a program coordinator at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.

“The need of services for the underserved, uninsured, and low-literacy Hispanic populations motivate me to continue to work in this field,” Gonzalez said.

At the IHPR, Gonzalez coordinates ¡Salud del Valle!, an NCI-funded project that uses her skills as a community health educator to do educational presentations that increase the knowledge of breast and cervical cancer screening among Latinas in South Texas.

She also brings cancer prevention messages to residents via clinics, churches, cancer support groups, heath fairs and more, and recruits Latino cancer survivors to use LIVESTRONG cancer navigation services.

“I most enjoy being able to educate Hispanics about available resources and make sure that they know all about cancer prevention and screening,” Gonzalez said. “I also enjoy maintaining partnerships with community, regional and state groups.”

New Spanish Website Offers Cancer Info, Resources

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8 months ago
by admin in

LLS

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has launched a new website with increased access to resources and materials in Spanish.

Free education materials in English and Spanish can be read and downloaded or ordered from the website. This includes the easy-to-read, bilingual resource called, Knowing All Your Treatment Options/Conozca todas sus opciones de tratamiento. This booklet guides patients to discuss all treatment options with their doctors and explains clinical trials and informed consent in basic language.

Also on the website is information about financial programs, links to LLS’ new and archived telephone/web education programs, LLS national and chapter support services and printable question guides about treatment and clinical trials that patients can take with them to the doctor.

You can find the new website at www.LLS.org/espanol.

Report: The Impact of Cancer in Texas

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1 year ago
by admin in

A Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) report indicates that cancer cost Texas $25.3 billion in 2010 in annual direct medical costs and morbidity and mortality losses. This is a 15.8% increase since 2007.

The report details how investment in research, screening and related activities aimed at reducing the incidence and severity of cancer in Texas not only changes lives but also generates important economic benefits.

Read more here.

Spanish-Speakers Can Get Free Cancer Info at 1-800-4-CANCER

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1 year ago
by admin in

Spanish-speakers are encouraged to call the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service, 1-800-4-CANCER, to get free scientifically based information on cancer clinical trials, prevention, risk factors and more in their language.

In a new video, Aileen Ardizon, Director of Bilingual Services for the Cancer Information Service, explains how the number works and what type of servces are offered.

NCI cancer information is offered in English and Spanish online, too.

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