Advertisement

Posts Tagged ‘Latinas and breast cancer

300_152521.jpgI’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

Post to Twitter

doctors.jpgA study released by the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center hits close to home.

The study showed that Latina women who prefer speaking Spanish are more likely than other ethnic groups to express regret or dissatisfaction with their breast cancer treatment, despite receiving similar treatment and reporting similar levels of involvement with their doctor in deciding the treatment plan compared to white women.

Nearly half of the women surveyed were Latina, with a quarter preferring to speak Spanish. These women were 3.5 times more likely than English-speaking Latinas to have difficulty understanding written information about breast cancer.

“Even though they received similar amounts of information as whites, Latinas who prefer speaking Spanish reported a strong desire for more information. Doctors may need to make additional effort to ensure this information is understandable and culturally appropriate for all ethnic groups to improve the decision making process for breast cancer patients,” says lead study author Sarah T. Hawley, Ph.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and a research investigator at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

Read more…

Post to Twitter


Hola!

VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.

About | Advertise with us | Contact | Twitter

VivirLatino on Facebook


blog advertising is good for you

blog advertising is good for you

Get our RSS Feed!