DENVER — More Coloradans die each year from cancer than any other illness.
It can be hard to talk about, but learning about prevention and early detection can save lives, especially in communities hit hardest like Colorado’s Latinos. They face higher cancer rates than Hispanics anywhere else in the country.
To learn more about why these disparities exist and what Colorado is doing to improve outcomes for Latinos, Scripps News Denver sat down for a one-on-one conversation with Evelinn Borrayo, the University of Colorado Cancer Center’s community outreach and engagement director.
“Sometimes communities don't think about cancer as something that is immediate or something to worry about,” Borrayo said.
Most people are diagnosed with cancer later in life. But Borrayo said more are getting cancer at a younger age, especially among Latinos, who on average get diagnosed at roughly a decade younger than other races and ethnicities.
“We want to empower Coloradans to really take charge of their health. And information is so important,” she said.
“The Cancer Center is here to serve all Coloradans… from prevention and early detection to treatment,” Borrayo said.
But underserved and disadvantaged communities, including Latinos, are hit hardest.
Latino communities experience higher rates of unemployment and obesity, lower incomes and lesser access to housing and food security. They often live in neighborhoods where they’re exposed to toxic chemicals from industry or may not have in-home mitigation for radon.
“They also tend to have type 2 diabetes, some higher rates of smoking and physical inactivity,” Borrayo said. “They have a higher risk for developing cancer because of those factors.”
But Borrayo said cancer can be prevented if people take action with their health. Through choices like “what they eat, being more physically active, not smoking, not drinking… or doing it in moderation,” she said.
In Colorado, the higher altitude and sun exposure that comes with it means we need to do more to protect our skin.
“We have a higher incidence than other states of melanoma, and melanoma is a very aggressive type of skin cancer,” she said.
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It’s environmental and societal factors like this that put Latinos at higher risk for cancer, more so than any biological factors related to their race, Borrayo said.
But genetics are linked to cancer risk for some. If you have family members who’ve had cancer, you should talk with your doctor. And certain cancers, like breast cancer, are linked to specific genes, so you can get tested for that.
“Some of it is really talking to your family. And myself, being Latina, I know that sometimes in our community, those things are not talked about,” Borrayo said.
“In the Latino culture, actually, there is this belief… if you're going to develop or come up with something, there's really not much you can do,” she said. “If you don't feel it, you must not be ill. If you look for it, then you'll find it.”
But she said, “It is important to detect cancer early or to prevent it because you can change that fate.”
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Not all cancers can be detected early, but there are screenings for some of the cancers with the highest rates of incidence and death, such as breast, lung, colorectal, cervical and prostate cancers. The Cancer Center offers many of those tests for free to those without insurance, and they want you to go early and often for screenings.
“When you start feeling those symptoms that tell you that you're sick, by then, it may be too late,” Borrayo said. “It’s creating that awareness about cancer that I think is going to start helping us move the needle."
This story is the first in a series. The next parts about improving access to cancer screening and treatment will air on Wednesday, Sept. 11 and Friday, Sept. 13.
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