Areca nut , betel leaf and slaked lime are often mixed with tobacco and chewed . Betel nut is a known cause of oral cancer .
A betel nut is the fruit of the areca palm .
CANCER DISPARITIES IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS
CAROL BOUSHEY | LEE BUENCONSEJO-LUM | KEVIN CASSEL | BRENDA HERNANDEZ | THADDEUS HERZOG HYE-RYEON LEE | GERTRAUD MASKARINEC | NEAL PALAFOX | REINHOLD PENNER | PALLAV POKHREL CARL-WILHELM VOGEL | DAVID WARD | LYNNE WILKENS
The U54 partnership between the University of Guam ( UOG ) and the UH Cancer Center aims to grow cancer research capacity at the UOG , develop cancer health disparities research at the UH Cancer Center , raise awareness of cancer and cancer prevention in Guam , Hawai ‘ i and the U . S . Associated Pacifc Island Jurisdictions , and increase the number of cancer and biomedical science researchers of Pacifc Island ancestry in the U . S .
• Partnership results included landmark tobacco control legislation in Guam resulting in decreased tobacco use and increased tobacco taxes .
• The U54 has cultivated interest in cancer research among underrepresented minority students . Thirty Pacifc Island students have been trained in cancer research ( 23 MS , seven PhD ), including two graduates who became UOG faculty members .
• More than 75 publications , 100 abstracts and 14 grant awards have resulted from the U54 .
• Fourteen jointly-conducted projects addressed research questions important to Guam , Hawai ‘ i and the U . S . Associated Pacifc Island Jurisdictions . The majority of the projects have explored questions related to betel nut use and carcinogenesis , from natural products chemistry to epidemiology and behavioral science .
AMERICANS OF PACIFIC ISLAND ANCESTRY ARE UNDERREPRESENTED AMONG CANCER RESEARCHERS AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS . RESEARCH DESIGNED AND CONDUCTED BY , FOR AND WITH PACIFIC ISLANDERS IS CRITICAL TO REDUCE CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES AND EFFECTIVELY DELIVER CANCER HEALTH ADVANCES IN HAWAI ‘ I , GUAM AND THE U . S . ASSOCIATED PACIFIC ISLANDS .
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