I’m always feeling up my tetas and not just because I’m mala. Breast cancer runs in my familia and I’ve already lost two tias to the disease and have one who is still fighting it.

A recently released study says that Latinas often delay seeking treatment for cancer del seno, making treatment more difficult. The reasons include lack of health insurance, fear, and just cosas de la vida that sometimes make a doctor’s visit less of a priority than say working.

I would also add a lack of cultural competency on the part of doctors working in Latino communities.

“(Latinas are) not getting more breast cancer than other women, but they’re less likely to survive as long,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, a member of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s National Health Advisory Council and chairwoman of the Komen Foundation National Hispanic/Latino Advisory Council. “The reason is they’re diagnosed at a later stage of the cancer.”

Via / The Latin Americanist