Acuna Discusses US Liver Cancer Incidence in Individuals of Mexican Descent

Welcome to OncLive On Air^®! I’m your host today, Jason Harris.

OncLive On Air^® is a podcast from OncLive, which provides oncology professionals with the resources and information they need to provide the best patient care. In both digital and print formats, OncLive covers every angle of oncology practice, from new technology to treatment advances to important regulatory decisions.

In today’s episode, we spoke with Nicholas Acuna, MPH, a PhD candidate in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Acuna led research showing that incidence of liver cancer increases over time in people of Mexican descent living in Los Angeles. He and his colleagues determined that those born in the US who have at least one parent born in the US are more likely to develop hepatocellular carcinoma compared with first-generation immigrants from Mexico.

The causes for the increased risk are unclear, but investigators suspect acculturation plays a role. Data show that with each successive generation, individuals of Mexican descent in the US were more likely to smoke, consume more coffee and alcohol, and have a higher body mass index.

Acuna, the son of Peruvian immigrants, discussed his research findings, the “Latino paradox” in health outcomes, and the next steps for this research.

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That’s all we have for today! Thanks again to my guest, Nicholas Acuna, and thank you for listening to this episode of OncLive On Air^®. Check back on Mondays and Thursdays for exclusive interviews with leading experts in the oncology field.

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