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By: Luckson Mathieu, MD, Senior Clinical Reviewer, DO2, OND; Donna Rivera, PharmD, Associate Director for Pharmacoepidemiology, Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE), and Rea Blakey, Associate Director for External Outreach and Engagement, OCE
Project Community within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) will hold the first National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness Week Sept. 20-26, 2024, to increase cancer awareness within the Hispanic/Latino population. The week will feature a virtual Conversation on Cancer public panel discussion and a social media campaign using the hashtag #LatinoCancer.
National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness Week aims to gather community-based groups to increase cancer awareness and build knowledge surrounding cancer clinical trial participation as well increase the understanding of ways to contribute to national genetic databases for cancer research.
Register now for the free public panel discussion to be live-streamed on Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to noon ET. The discussion brings together experts involved in health care for Hispanic/Latino communities, advocates, communicators and FDA oncologists, to focus on addressing cancer disparities. The program will also be offered with live translations in Spanish and Portuguese. Confirmed panelists include:
- Marcia Cruz-Correa, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry & Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, P.R.
- Ysabel Duron, Founder and Executive Director, The Latino Cancer Institute and Award-winning Latina journalist.
- Frank Penedo, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Medicine, Center Associate Director, Cancer Survivorship and Translational Behavioral Sciences, Director, Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Care, and Director, Biopsychosocial Mechanisms and Health Outcomes Lab, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.
- Narjust Florez, M.D., Associate Director of the Cancer Care Equity Program, and a thoracic medical oncologist, Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center.
- Fabian Sandoval, M.D., President and CEO, Emerson Clinical Research Institute, Inc., and four-time Emmy Award Winner Host “Tu Salud Tu Familia” and Medical contributor for Telemundo NBC, Univision.
- Richard Pazdur, M.D., Center Director, OCE, FDA.
- Donna Rivera, Pharm.D., Associate Director of Pharmacoepidemiology, OCE, FDA.
- Luckson Mathieu, M.D., Senior Clinical Reviewer, Division of Oncology 2, FDA.
- Maria Garcia-Jimenez, M.D., M.H.S., Clinical Reviewer, Division of Oncology 1, FDA.
Individuals and organizations are invited to use easy-to-post graphics available in the online social media toolkit to amplify cancer awareness during the observance week, and throughout the year, on any social media platform they choose. The social media toolkit is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Cancer is the leading cause of death for the Hispanic/Latino population in the U.S., with lung cancer and breast cancer being the leading cause of death for Hispanic/Latino men and women respectively. The risk of being diagnosed with cancer is around 1 in 3 for the U.S. Hispanic/Latino population, with estimates of 80,200 new cases among Hispanic/Latino men and 96,400 cases among Hispanic/Latino women in 2021. Hispanic/Latino individuals also have higher rates of infection-related cancers, including approximately double the incidence of liver and stomach cancer compared to Non-Hispanic White (NHW) individuals, although incidence varies by country of origin. Cervical cancer incidence is 32% higher among Hispanic/Latino women in the continental U.S. and Hawaii and 78% higher among women in Puerto Rico, compared to NHW women. Hispanic/Latino children and adolescents have a significantly higher incidence of several cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, and a poorer 5-year overall survival than their NHW counterparts.
National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness Week is one of many initiatives driven by Project Community at the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence. Project Community works to enlist and encourage a wide array of public and private, community-focused engagement entities, organizations, and families throughout the U.S. (and beyond U.S. boundaries) to take part in promoting awareness of cancer.
¡Avanzando juntos! (Moving Forward Together!)
National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness Week is timed in concordance within the National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, 2024.
Find out more here:
National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness
Concientización Nacional sobre el Cáncer en las Familias Hispanas/Latinas
Programa Nacional de Conscientização sobre o Câncer em Famílias Hispânicas/Latinas
Conversations on Cancer
