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The Latino Cancer Institute (TLCI) is a nationwide community and research network dedicated to solving the issues and burden of Latino cancer.
Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death among Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S., accounting for approximately 17% of deaths. At the same time, federal support for health equity and cancer disparities research is facing unprecedented cuts—making community-driven leadership more critical than ever.
Cancer affects Latino men and women differently, requiring targeted approaches. Among Latinas, breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death, while cervical cancer continues to pose a serious and largely preventable threat.
For Latino men, the challenges are equally urgent. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death, and Latino men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate, colorectal, liver, and testicular cancers—often at later stages.
Our mission. The Latino Cancer Institute works to reduce the burden of cancer in Latino communities by convening expertise, amplifying community-informed research, and advocating for equitable cancer care. As public funding becomes more uncertain, philanthropic support helps ensure Latino communities are not left out of cancer research, policy discussions, or solutions. Learn more about our work.
For over 20 years, Founder Ysabel Duron has played a vital role in bringing together those dedicated to making a difference in the Latino cancer landscape. From cancer community workers and caregivers to international medical researchers and policymakers, Ysabel has forged important alliances in a field crowded with many competing interests and agendas.
It takes a savvy insider who has traveled this terrain far and wide to help the Latino cancer community at-large continue changing the landscape. TLCI offers the definitive road map.
The Latino Cancer Institute acts as a network for agencies, linking members to share knowledge and best practices. Connecting colleagues, peers and institutions is critical to The Institute’s ongoing mission to amplify and disseminate outstanding work in the cancer arena, and to support one another.
The Latino Cancer Institute provides opportunities to network, learn and collaborate with stakeholders in the cancer landscape including Latino cancer researchers.
The Latino Cancer Institute convenes leading experts, advocates, and community voices to examine critical cancer issues affecting Latino communities and to surface actionable insights. Recordings from TLCI’s recent Forums are now available—free to watch—covering cancer risks, disparities, and lived experiences across Latino women, men, children, and families. Watch Forum videos.
The Latino Cancer Institute leverages our united voice at the national table to advance Latino cancer concerns including education, services, funding, and research. Our aim is to be heard, understood and included in any proposed policy.
As a nonprofit organization, we rely on philanthropy and grants in our mission to support other agencies. Your funding allows us to continue the development of new programs and tools we can share with those making a difference in the lives of Latino cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers.
Linus Pauling was widely mocked for claiming that vitamin C could fight cancer, especially after trials using vitamin C pills showed no benefit. Researchers now know that intravenous vitamin C reaches vastly higher concentrations and can behave more like an experimental cancer drug than an ordinary supplement. Early studies suggest it may damage vulnerable cancer cells, reduce treatment side effects, and possibly improve outcomes for some patients.
Blocking the glycine transporter SLC6A20 restored important brain signaling and improved social, communication, and repetitive behaviors in autism-related mouse models. The treatment also worked in human brain organoids and showed lasting effects in adult mice, suggesting the brain may remain more treatable later in life than previously thought.
Chemotherapy-surviving ovarian cancer cells may release fructose to help neighboring tumor cells loosen, escape, and spread. The discovery suggests that sugary diets and cholesterol-lowering drugs could influence cancer progression, though the effects have not yet been confirmed in patients.
Cancer cells rely on powerful genetic switches to keep growth genes running at full speed, but that intense activity can damage their own DNA. The resulting breaks are repeatedly repaired, sometimes with small mistakes that allow new mutations to accumulate. Researchers believe this self-inflicted damage may help tumors evolve while also creating a potential target for new treatments.
Scientists have identified an immune response that may explain why statins cause muscle pain, weakness, and exercise intolerance in some people. The finding could eventually lead to treatments that protect muscles while preserving the drugs’ lifesaving cardiovascular benefits.
Blood cancers that eventually worsen may carry detectable genetic warning signs years before patients develop serious symptoms. The findings could lead to earlier intervention while also helping doctors distinguish true cancer from harmless age-related blood changes.