New Vietnamese cancer screening referral and resource line to serve Sacramento region

Vietnamese Americans face high rates of cervical and liver cancer

The Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training (AANCART), headquartered at UC Davis Cancer Center, today announced the launch of the Sacramento region's first Vietnamese-language cancer information and referral line.

The Vietnamese Cancer Screening Referral and Resource Line will be activated on Sunday. Callers who dial (916) 449-5544 will hear a recorded greeting inviting them to leave a message. Vietnamese-speaking counselors, trained by the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service, will return calls. Counselors cannot give medical advice, but will answer questions about cancer risk factors, prevention strategies, screening guidelines, signs and symptoms, diagnostic options, and treatment approaches. Counselors can also offer referrals to Sacramento-area health resources for the Vietnamese community, including the California Department of Health Services-sponsored Vietnamese-language smoker's hotline and VN CARES, a clinic for Vietnamese-speaking patients offered at the UC Davis School of Medicine's Paul Hom Asian Clinic.

“We are proud to be able to offer this service, which will help to arm Vietnamese Americans with the information they need to reduce their unequal and unnecessary cancer burden,” said Moon S. Chen, Jr., associate director for cancer disparities and research at UC Davis Cancer Center and principal investigator of AANCART.

Among major metropolitan areas nationwide, the Sacramento region has the 11th largest Vietnamese population. More than 18,000 Vietnamese live in Sacramento and Yolo counties, according to U.S. census data.

Compared to the general U.S. population, Vietnamese Americans are less likely to have Pap tests, mammograms and other cancer screening exams. They also suffer disproportionately from certain cancers. Vietnamese American women are diagnosed with cervical cancer at five times the rate of white women, for example, while Vietnamese American men have the country's highest liver cancer rate.

The new resource and referral line was announced at a health conference and fair at UC Davis Cancer Center sponsored by the UC Davis Health System, AANCART and Sen. Deborah V. Ortiz (D-Sacramento). Titled “What Every Vietnamese American Should Know,” the conference covered the most common cancers affecting Vietnamese men and women, smoking and diet trends, and health resources available in this region for Vietnamese speakers. Most of the conference was conducted in Vietnamese.

“The early detection of cancer provides the greatest opportunity for cure,” Ortiz said. “I am proud to partner with AANCART and UC Davis Health System to provide the latest information in cancer prevention and promote access to cancer screening services available through state programs and national nonprofit organizations.”

AANCART unites researchers and community advocates from Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Seattle and Boston in the nation's largest effort to reduce cancer in Asian Americans.

UC Davis Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center serving the Central Valley and inland Northern California, a region of 6 million people.