New liver cancer and deaths from liver cancer are preventable. Yet, liver cancer kills more people in Texas than in any other state. Also, the risk of liver cancer is not the same in all Texans; Hispanic and African-American residents of Texas are at a much higher risk of developing and dying from liver cancer than white residents. Unfortunately, we do not fully understand why these inequalities occur and how to prevent them from increasing over time. The goal of our research is to understand the root causes of these differences and to prevent liver cancer deaths among racial/ethnic minority groups in Texas. We will follow a large group of patients with cirrhosis of the liver (which is the ...
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New liver cancer and deaths from liver cancer are preventable. Yet, liver cancer kills more people in Texas than in any other state. Also, the risk of liver cancer is not the same in all Texans; Hispanic and African-American residents of Texas are at a much higher risk of developing and dying from liver cancer than white residents. Unfortunately, we do not fully understand why these inequalities occur and how to prevent them from increasing over time. The goal of our research is to understand the root causes of these differences and to prevent liver cancer deaths among racial/ethnic minority groups in Texas. We will follow a large group of patients with cirrhosis of the liver (which is the result of any chronic liver injury and the highest risk group for liver cancer) who are seen at 4 different healthcare systems from 2 large counties in Texas (Harris, Dallas) to identify the main reasons that lead to increased risk of liver cancer in racial and ethnic minority groups. These reasons can be related to differences in chronic liver disease (such as hepatitis C), health behaviors (such as alcohol use), interactions with healthcare systems (type of hospital, seeing specialist), and even differences in the environment that people live in (number of hospitals, alcohol stores). For this research, we will collect and combine information from health records, patient surveys, healthcare provider surveys, and community surveys. In addition, we will also examine how much of the difference in liver cancer risk may be due to different versions of certain genes in different racial and ethnic groups. Our main purpose it to identify key factors that increase liver cancer risk and, if changed, will result in reducing racial and ethnic inequality. Based on this information, we will then identify the best ways to prevent liver cancer and liver cancer deaths in the high-risk racial and ethnic minority groups in Texas.
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