Learn more in our training program.
Join our membership network.
Attend our events and collaborate.
Add your voice to our policy matters.
Get involved in our genetic registry.
Donate to our cause.
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.
Scientists at UC San Diego have unveiled a potentially game-changing treatment for MASH, a severe fatty liver disease affecting millions worldwide. The experimental drug, ION224, blocks a liver enzyme that drives fat buildup and inflammation, two key forces behind liver damage. In clinical trials, patients showed striking improvements in liver health, even without losing weight.
Researchers found that drinking guava juice may significantly improve anemia by helping the body absorb iron more efficiently. In a review of 17 studies, women and teenage girls who consumed guava juice — especially with iron supplements — experienced noticeable increases in hemoglobin levels. Since guava contains far more vitamin C than oranges, scientists believe it could become a simple, affordable nutrition tool in regions where anemia is widespread.
Vitamin B12 has long been seen as a health hero, helping the body make red blood cells, repair DNA, and keep nerves functioning properly. But scientists are discovering that the story may be more complicated than simply “more is better.” While too little B12 can damage DNA and raise cancer risk, some studies suggest that extremely high levels — especially from long-term high-dose supplements — may also be linked to certain cancers or poorer outcomes in cancer patients.
Scientists in Japan have created powerful new vitamin K-based compounds that may help the brain regenerate lost neurons — a breakthrough that could one day change how diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are treated. By combining vitamin K with components related to vitamin A, the researchers developed compounds that were about three times more effective at turning neural stem cells into neurons than natural vitamin K alone.
Scientists at McGill University have found a way to supercharge the immune system’s natural killer (NK) cells, helping them break through the defenses tumors use to stay alive. By temporarily blocking two proteins, researchers turned these cells into far more effective cancer fighters against difficult cancers like leukemia, glioblastoma, kidney cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer.
Scientists at UT Southwestern have uncovered a surprising new “master switch” that helps control how much cholesterol the liver sends into the bloodstream. The newly identified protein, HELZ2, works by shutting down the genetic instructions needed to produce apoB — a key building block of the cholesterol-carrying particles linked to clogged arteries and heart disease.
