Cancer continues to be a top cause of death among Latinos, only second to heart disease.
Given the prevalence of cancer in Hispanic/Latino communities, the need for cancer interventions in heavily Hispanic/Latino areas like San Antonio is vital.
That’s one of the reasons that UT Health San Antonio is one of two study sites for the Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Study — a one-of-a-kind study that aims to unpack the social, cultural, behavioral, mental, biological, and medical influences on post-cancer life.
Since 2021, the study team has diligently been collecting the stories of hundreds of cancer survivors in the South Texas area in hopes of identifying ways to help improve Hispanic/Latino cancer outcomes.
But there’s still more work to be done.
The Avanzando Caminos study is looking to enroll 1,500 cancer survivors in the South Texas area, which is why a local TV news station in San Antonio recently visited the Institute of Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio to help spread the word.
Join Avanzando Caminos in English or Spanish or watch the segment!
Avanzando Caminos on Air
Study leader Dr. Amelie Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio and Mays Cancer Center appeared on KSAT News on March 3, 2025, highlighting the importance of the study.
“[We want to] better understand what are some of the issues that our Hispanic patients face when they are surviving cancer,” Ramirez told KSAT.
During the interview, Ramirez discussed the need for a study of this magnitude in the San Antonio community with KSAT reporter Stephania Jimenez.
The intent of the study is to learn from cancer survivors to find ways to support survivors in South Texas so that they can go on to live a better quality of life after cancer.
“We want to find out how we can better serve you. The treatments are harsh. What were some of the main things that you were dealing with that you wish you would have had support for?” Ramirez told Jimenez.
Ramirez appeared alongside San Antonio stomach cancer survivor Yolanda Barrera, an Avanzando Caminos study participant and an advocate with Debbie’s Dream Foundation.
Barrera was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2021. She received life-saving treatment when they removed her stomach that year.
While the removal of her stomach was necessary to treat the aggressive form of cancer, it also left her with a poorer quality of life.
Despite those challenges, Barrera is blessed to have survived a cancer that has a 36% chance of survival after five years, according to the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
“I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m one of the blessed ones,” Barrera told KSAT.
She’s now using that experience to help others like her find their voices to help make a difference.
Part of that mission led her to volunteer to share her story with the Avanzando Caminos study team.
“The fact that the research that is being done is to help individuals that have had cancer figure out what to do next. We need help. We don’t have that in the community,” she told Salud America!
Share Your Cancer Story with Avanzando Caminos
The Avanzando Caminos study at UT Health San Antonio is looking to enroll 1,500 Hispanic/Latino cancer survivors in South Texas.
You must identify as Hispanic/Latino or be of Hispanic/Latino origin or descent and age 18 or older to participate.
Participants must also have completed primary cancer treatment for breast, colon, kidney, liver, lung, prostate, stomach, or cervical cancers within the last 10 years.
The study is comprised of seven study visits over five years, which consists of assessment interviews, and some blood draws.
Volunteers are eligible to receive $50 per visit.
To inquire about volunteering for Avanzando Caminos, please contact a member of the study team at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio at 210-562-6514 or email caminos@uthscsa.edu.
You can also visit the Avanzando Caminos website in English or Spanish for more information or fill out a short eligibility survey and a member of the study team will be in touch.
Join the Avanzando Caminos study in English or Spanish.
The post Share Your Cancer Story in Our San Antonio Cancer Survivorship Study! appeared first on Salud America.