Cancer especially liver cancer is one of the biggest killer of Hispanic Texans

More Hispanic Texans die from cancer than any other cause, according to a new report by a Texas research group. The report documents cancer as the leading cause of death among Hispanic Texans under the age of 76. Only three percent of Hispanic Texans are older than 75.

Texas’s Hispanic population has more than doubled since 1990. Texans of Hispanic ethnicity now comprise 38 percent of the state’s population. The findings are published in a September 2013 special issue of the Texas Public Health Journal.

Based on data from the Texas Cancer Registry, Medicare claims records and state vital statistics, researchers compared rates and trends for cancer in Hispanics to those for non-Hispanic whites in Texas. Key findings include:

• Hispanic Texans are less likely to be screened for breast or colon cancer.
• Hispanics have lower rates of new cancer diagnoses for breast, colon and lung cancer.
• Of the cancers diagnosed in Hispanics, fewer were in the earliest, most treatable stages – those typically detected through screening. Breast cancer at the most advanced stage was diagnosed at a 12 percent higher rate.
• Cancers more common among Hispanics were stomach and liver cancer in men and stomach, liver and cervical cancer in women. Such cancers can arise from untreated infections.
• Overall mortality from all cancer was lower among Hispanics with the exception of stomach and liver cancer.
• Survival after a diagnosis of cancer is superior for Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic whites. 

These findings were based on 10 years of data about the diagnoses of new cancer cases and 21 years of data about cancer deaths. It was also found that foreign-born Hispanics had lower mortality rates than those born in the United States, according to analyses of regional differences within the state.

New test enables early diagnosis of liver cancer

Researchers have found a way to make early liver cancer show its true colors. They have developed a test that will help pathologists clearly distinguish early liver cancer cells from nearly identical normal liver cells by giving them a distinctive red-brown hue.

The inability to definitively tell the difference often means the disease is detected late when treatment options are less effective. There is no definitive test for early diagnosis of liver cancer.  The new test adds a level of comfort for making the diagnosis. The deadly liver cancer cells seek to recapitulate the appearance of normal liver cells. And they are very good at that, the pathologists agree, which is the frustration they have when trying to give patients definitive answers from looking at the tiny core biopsies of their liver under the microscope.

Unfortunately early liver cancer also is mostly silent. By the time it’s large enough to cause classic symptoms such as abdominal pain and weight loss, the cancer cells look distinctive but the liver is failing. The myriad of treatment options – from removing the diseased portion of the liver to liver transplants to freezing or heating cancer cells – have a high chance of failing as well.

The new probe detects and stains a microRNA called mir-21, which is found in liver cancer but not healthy liver cells. Unlike RNA, microRNA doesn’t make proteins rather helps control proteins that are expressed by RNA.  That means it’s more stable and can survive harsh chemicals normally used to prepare the biopsy for microscopic evaluation. This includes using formaldehyde and replacing natural fluids with paraffin so the tissue can be easily cut and stained with different reagents to help pathologists try to pinpoint a patient’s problem.

For the study, the researchers used their probe on biopsies of 10 healthy livers and 10 livers with early cancers. In every case of liver cancer, the biopsy took on the red-brown hue. The probe was not detected in normal cells. The studies were done retrospectively, so they already knew which patients ultimately were diagnosed with cancer. They are now using the test on 200 similar cases of liver cancer.
 
The group also is exploring this approach in other hard-to-detect-early cancers. Under the microscope, the potentially deadly skin cancer cells look a lot like common mole cells. In the case of diagnosing early liver cancer, the physicians note that cirrhosis, a massive scarring of the liver resulting from chronic infection with hepatitis B and C viruses, further muddies the current diagnostic waters by essentially giving cancer cells cover. These common viruses are the most common cause of liver cancer worldwide, according to the American Cancer Society. Alcohol abuse, a leading cause of cirrhosis in the United States, also is a risk factor for liver cancer. The new probe fortunately does not interact with cirrhosed cells.