Moffitt Looking To Talk To Hispanic Women For Genetic Awareness Study

Main Category: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  Women's Health / Gynecology;  Genetics
Article Date: 06 Sep 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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If you are a Hispanic woman and you or one of your family members has had breast or ovarian cancer, Moffitt Cancer Center wants to hear from you. Researchers want to talk to women about how much they know about cancer genetics and how they get their information. The study will focus on Hispanic women because they are typically diagnosed with cancer later than women of other ethnicities and they're more likely to die from the disease.

"A lot of women don't know their family history. Cancer isn't talked about in some families, particularly Hispanic ones," said Gwendolyn Quinn, Ph.D., a member of Moffitt's Cancer Control and Prevention program.

Drs. Susan Vadaparampil and Gwendolyn Quinn received a two-year $100,000 grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute. Researchers want to interview women who themselves or whose mother or sister developed breast cancer before age 50 or had ovarian cancer at any age. They're targeting Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican women between the ages of 18 and 65.

One of the goals of the study is to develop health information that is culturally and linguistically appropriate. "Often, Hispanic women refer to a family history of cancer as 'running in the blood.' There is no real term that translates 'genetic predisposition' into Spanish," said Quinn.

Also, some cultures adopt a fatalistic approach to cancer, implying that their health outcomes are beyond their control and in the hands of a higher power. Researchers want to educate them about cancer genetics in a way that recognizes and respects their cultural, religious and spiritual beliefs.

About H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute

Located in Tampa, Florida on the University of South Florida campus, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute (http://www.moffitt.org) is the only Florida-based cancer center with the NCI designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center for its excellence in research and contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt currently has 15 affiliates in Florida, one in Georgia and two in Puerto Rico. Additionally, Moffitt is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a prestigious alliance of the country's leading cancer centers, and is listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for cancer and ear, nose and throat. Moffitt's sole mission is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer.

http://www.moffitt.org

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