Children’s cancer research in San Antonio is getting a boost from the National Cancer Institute.
A new infusion of $3.7 million is dedicated to helping an underserved population in South Texas.
South Central Texas is designated is one of 12 sites in the United States with the largest populations of underserved minority children.
The Health Science Center’s Dr. Gail Tomlinson says Hispanic children have the highest incidence of cancers – and the poorest outcomes – and the South Texas population best represents the future demographics of the U.S.
"We have a large Hispanic population, and I think the gene pool may be a little bit different. Lifestyles may be different. And this may influence how we metabolize drugs given to treat cancer," she said.
Tomlinson said the NCI grant for clinical trials on kids in South Texas fills a research need that for the first time, will inform cancer treatment of children across the country.
"This is just a very fertile area of research that will tell us what we need to know over the next few decades of taking care of children with cancer and blood disorders," she said.
The research consortium includes the San Antonio Military Medical Center, Methodist Children’ Hospital, Dell Children’ Medical Center in Austin, and Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi. The project will test kids across 90,000 square miles of Texas in the next five years.
