Our Research
Challenges for Cancer Patients
Significant challenges cancer patients face is limited access to equitable cancer care, driven critically by social determinants of health (SDoH).
These barriers include health insurance, access to care, financial strain, food insecurity, transportation, income, education, health literacy, and language.
As a result, there is an increase in cancer health disparities, cancer morbidity/mortality, decreased quality of life, and elevated healthcare costs in a largely Latino, vulnerable population.
Challenges in South Texas
In South Texas, home to nearly 5 million people (69% Latino), 25 of 38 counties are rural and 96% are designated as “primary care shortage areas,” highlighting them as one of the poorest and most medically underserved areas in the nation.
South Texas Latinos face significantly higher risks for: liver cancer (64%), cervical cancer (46%), gallbladder cancer (8%), stomach/gastric cancer (4%), and pediatric leukemia (32%).
How is the Avanzando Center Addressing These Challenges?
The Avanzando Equidad de Salud: Latino Cancer Health Equity Research Center (Avanzando Center) at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio will create a collaborative environment with the community to build SDoH-focused research careers and mentoring, resources to assess patients’ SDoH and respond to needs, and action for system and policy change toward equity.
Key SDoH targeted by the Avanzando Center include:
- Lack of health insurance (30% uninsured in STX; 23% in Texas).
- Financial strain (25% live in poverty in STX; 15.8% in Texas).
- Low income (22% earn less than 150% of the federal poverty line in STX; 14.9% in Texas).
- Limited access to care (44.8% lack a usual source of healthcare in STX; 31.9% in Texas).
- Low education levels (30% are not high-school graduates in STX; 16.3% in Texas).
- Language barriers (41% speak Spanish as their primary language in STX; 29.3% in Texas).
Areas of action for the Avanzando Center include:
- Conduct three scholar-led research projects to address local SDoH-driven cancer health disparities. Each project will regularly engage with the Community Advisory Board (CAB) and benefit from centralized Center support for SDoH screening, biostatistics, navigation, and communication. Host scholar meetings organized by the Avanzando Center. Research scholars will each identify challenges and opportunities to help problem-solve and share cross-cutting themes generated by their projects.
- Implement a system change SDoH Screener in UTHSA’s and MCC’s electronic health record system to systematically assess patients for SDoH and automatically activate follow-up by the Center’s SDoH Navigators (SNs), who will connect them with the institutional and community resources needed and facilitate coordinated care through partnerships with community organizations, clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
- Engage research scholars and community in education and advocacy for system and policy changes that improve structural SDoH and health equity through local implementation of Mays Cancer Center’s national Salud America! health equity communication program.
- Create a tailored mentoring program, webinar series, and connection to local/national mentoring resources to enhance scholars and researchers understanding and incorporation of SDoH assessments and health equity in their future cancer research.
