About COE

Mission and Vision

Mays Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center in Central and South Texas. We deliver leading therapies and investigate new care methods.

Community Outreach and Engagement is expanding the reach of these efforts. We are raising the level of cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship services available to the 38 counties we serve.

We partner with clinics, health advocates, community leaders and researchers to achieve our community outreach and engagement goals, which include:

  • Monitoring and evaluating the region’s cancer burden, disparities and risk factors
  • Engaging our community in outreach, policy, and research activities
  • Using findings from these efforts to inform future research and outreach activities 

Our efforts include:

Reducing the cancer burden

For years, we have been assessing the unique ways cancer affects our South Texas community. For example, we have learned that our communities experience rates of liver, cervical and gastric cancer that are higher than the rest of the country.

Our efforts aim to raise local awareness of prevention, treatment, and survivorship services, particularly for cancer types impacting our community in higher numbers.

Working with community partners

We develop meaningful relationships with clinics, health advocates and community leaders. These relationships enable us to gain valuable insights into cancer care challenges.

For example, we know that many patients have difficulty accessing care and trusting providers. Some are not aware of the importance of screenings. We are working with our community partners to address these challenges through local education efforts and publications — including community representatives in key decisions.

Our team relies on input from trusted community members to guide outreach and engagement. These efforts include providing cancer education through presentations to key community groups. Meet our community advisory board.

Bringing community needs and concerns to researchers

Outreach and engagement efforts play an important role in the Mays Cancer Center’s research. Our current focus is on high-risk and special population groups that include:

  • Latinos and African Americans
  • Children, adolescents and older adults
  • Firefighters, farm workers, active-duty military and veterans
  • Non-metropolitan communities near the U.S.-Mexico border

We share critical findings with our research teams so they can meet the unique needs of our community.

MCC Catchment Area and the South Texas Cancer Burden 

Mays Cancer Center cares for patients from a 38-county region that runs south from San Antonio to the Texas-Mexico border. Our experience treating patients across all stages of cancer, along with our novel research, provides important insights into the disease’s burden in our community.

The unique ways cancer affects people in South Texas include:

  • Our region is predominantly (69%) Latino. Cancer is the leading cause of death among Latinos in Texas.
  • Our region has a disproportionately high incidence of gastric and liver cancers compared to Texas and the nation.
  • Childhood and adolescent leukemia rates are significantly higher in South Texas than in the rest of the state.
  • More than one-third (38%) of adults in the region are obese, and approximately 16% of adults are current smokers. These factors increase cancer risk at a population level.
  • About 15% of people in South Texas do not have insurance, making it difficult for them to access care.
  • Many residents are not aware of cancer screening guidelines and do not follow current cancer prevention recommendations.

To maximize our impact on reducing the cancer burden in South Texas, our efforts focus on four primary areas of work. They include:

Cancer prevention

We are taking steps to prevent cancer through culturally appropriate efforts that include:

  • Continuous cancer surveillance and risk factor monitoring
  • Promotion of tobacco cessation, obesity management and HPV vaccination
  • Healthy lifestyle practices
  • Policy-driven and systemic changes 
Early cancer detection

We are educating the community about cancer screening options. These efforts include:

  • Developing and disseminating culturally competent, evidence-based cancer information tailored to the needs of underserved communities
  • Partnering with academic, clinical and community organizations to provide education about screening guidelines and risk factors
Cancer treatment

Community outreach and engagement efforts are increasing access to cancer treatment by:

  • Building a team of culturally competent patient navigators and community health workers to provide support in clinic settings
  • Providing integrated, patient-centered cancer care
Increasing quality of life for cancer survivors

Our team is improving cancer survivors’ quality of life by:

  • Helping patients and providers access and utilize survivorship care plans
  • Increasing referrals to cancer rehabilitation services
  • Raising awareness of Mays Cancer Center fitness and wellness services