News — ARLINGTON, Va., April 27, 2017 -- Cancer patients who speak Spanish have new tools to help them understand treatment options for their disease. The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) today released a series of Spanish-language patient videos on radiation therapy for cancer, including breast, prostate, lung, brain and other common cancer types. The videos complement a set of Spanish-language brochures on radiation therapy that ASTRO released earlier this year.
ASTRO created these materials in response to the growing need for culturally competent resources for Hispanic patients. Latinos account for more than half (54%) of the total U.S. population growth since 2000, according to the Pew Research Center. Cancer incidence also is on the rise, with an estimated 15 million people in the U.S. living with cancer today. Between half and two-thirds of all cancer patients will receive radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy or radioterapia.
The videos demonstrate what patients experience before, during and after radiation therapy treatments, supplemented with physician and patient interviews. Content was developed by a medical advisory board of radiation oncologists, experts in specific types of cancer and other health professionals with relevant expertise. Seven videos with Spanish voiceovers are available, including:
- (An introduction to radiation therapy)
- (Radiation therapy for brain tumors)
- (Radiation therapy for breast cancer)
- (Radiation therapy for gynecologic cancer)
- (Radiation therapy for head and neck cancer)
- (Radiation therapy for lung cancer)
- (Radiation therapy for prostate cancer)
The videos are available on , ASTRO’s patient education hub. ASTRO created RT Answers to explain to cancer patients and their families how doctors use radiation therapy to treat cancer safely and effectively. The site provides for a variety of cancer types and treatment types, including Spanish-language brochures and a tool to find a local radiation oncologist.
ABOUT ASTRO
ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes three medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics (), Practical Radiation Oncology () and Advances in Radiation Oncology (); developed and maintains an extensive patient website, RT Answers (); and created the Radiation Oncology Institute (), a nonprofit foundation to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment. To learn more about ASTRO, visit .
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