( CNN ) -- Last summer , Jessica Rodriguez did n't want to go outside , or even open the door . She did n't want anyone to see she had lost her hair during breast cancer treatment . Rodriguez , 39 , said she found strength from the support of her husband and children , and through an organization called Nueva Vida , a support network for Latinas with cancer based in Washington . At support meetings , she met other women who had lost their hair in cancer treatment and realized she was not alone . `` They were going through the same , '' said Rodriguez , who moved to the United States from Peru 12 years ago and now lives in Germantown , Maryland . `` I say : They 're OK . It 's only the hair . It 's going to go grow back . '' Some Latina breast cancer survivors such as Rodriguez have found comfort and assistance from organizations geared toward Hispanics . Nueva Vida and other groups are trying to address needs such as breaking language barriers , paying for treatment and finding support from others going through similar challenges . Rodriguez said she did n't know how she could have paid for treatment without Nueva Vida . It introduced her to a Maryland state program that covered her surgery , chemotherapy and radiation . `` I may be not talking to you , '' she said . `` I do n't know . I do n't think I could have made it without all the help . '' What the statistics say . Cancer remains a major health problem among Hispanics , but statistics show they are at a surprising advantage compared with some other ethnic groups . Researchers are trying to figure out why . In the United States , the death rate from all cancers among Hispanics is about 129 per 100,000 people per year , compared with 191 per 100,000 for whites and 239 per 100,000 for African-Americans/blacks , according to the National Cancer Institute . Breast cancer incidence and mortality specifically are also lower among Hispanics than whites or blacks , according to the American Cancer Society . The figures are puzzling , given that Hispanics have a lower socioeconomic status on average than whites . Data from the Pew Research Center suggests the typical Hispanic household had $ 6,325 in wealth in 2009 , while the typical white household had $ 113,149 . Even more curiously , a 2013 study in the International Journal for Equity in Health found that , among Hispanics in Texas , mortality rates for several cancers , including breast cancer , tend to be lower among those with more socioeconomic deprivation . A low mortality rate does not correspond with low socioeconomic status in whites and African-Americans , the study found . More research needs to be done to confirm these findings . The phenomenon associating Hispanics with better health outcomes despite lower average income and education rates is called the `` Hispanic paradox . '' A possible explanation for this trend is that smoking is much less common among Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites or African-Americans , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Another theory is that people who immigrate to the United States tend to be healthier than those who stayed in their home countries . It 's also possible that some who get sick return to their home countries . Mentally ill Latinos struggle to seek help . Despite slightly better statistical odds of not getting cancer than whites or blacks , Hispanics are not immune to these conditions , and breast cancer kills more Hispanic women than any other cancer . More often in Hispanics than whites , breast cancer is detected at an advanced stage , according to the American Cancer Society . A 2013 study in the journal JAMA Surgery focusing on young women with breast cancer , ages 15 to 39 , found that the time between diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer differed significantly depending on the ethnicity of the participants . Researchers found that about 15 % of Hispanic and African-American women waited more than six weeks for treatment , compared with 8 % of non-Hispanic white women . Longer waiting periods are linked to shorter survival time , the study found . Dr. Mariana Chavez MacGregor , breast oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston , said she believes that access to health care is partly responsible for the later detection of breast cancer in Hispanic women . `` If people have no health insurance , doing a test for something you do n't even have , it 's really at the bottom of the list , '' she said . There are also , she said , `` probably cultural reasons in which we may have more difficulty dealing with this and seeking medical attention . '' What survivors say . Research is ongoing to narrow down the best ways to improve the quality of life among Hispanic breast cancer survivors and their caregivers . Nueva Vida is participating in a research project led by Kristi Graves at Georgetown University to figure out the best approaches . The issues that tend to arise among Hispanic women who have breast cancer are n't unique to Hispanics , and it is impossible to generalize across individuals ; there are also many cultures that fall under terms such as `` Hispanic '' and `` Latina . '' Nonetheless , Graves and researchers have picked up on some themes that often arise . `` Breast cancer is n't always talked about in Latino families , '' Graves said . `` In some of these families , when you mention cancer it 's considered synonymous with death . '' Some survivors Graves has spoken with did n't tell their families about the cancer diagnosis until they had to start chemotherapy , because they did n't want to worry them . `` For some of the women , when they did start talking about cancer , they were really pleasantly surprised at the amount of support and information that they received , '' Graves said . For women whose first language is Spanish , translation may be an issue . They may have a hard time finding a physician with whom they feel comfortable , and who can adequately explain treatment options and procedures . When family members step in to translate to doctors , some women hold back important details . For instance , one woman Graves met did n't tell her doctor about the problems with sexual functioning she was having during treatment , because her daughter was translating for her . Let 's talk about sex ... and cancer . In her study , Graves will be testing an intervention in which survivors and caregivers share their concerns separately , in different groups , led by a facilitator , and then everyone comes together to talk about the topic . When tried on a smaller scale , `` ( facilitators ) delivered information separately to the survivors and caregivers ; it seemed that each group could open up further and talk about their own specific needs , '' Graves said . Getting help . Another community organization supporting Hispanic breast cancer patients is called Comadre a Comadre in Albuquerque , New Mexico . A comadre is a `` non-biological close female kinship '' in `` the Hispanic/Latino extended family unit , '' the website explains . This group was founded by six survivors and director Elba Saavedra , who is also an assistant professor for research at the University of New Mexico College of Education . The organization works with women in a nonclinical setting , giving them resources and support during their breast cancer treatment . A grant from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure helped jump-start Comadre a Comadre in 2003 . The organization offers support groups and classes in Spanish and English , one-on-one support and financial assistance . Comadre a Comadre is trying to get out positive messages about screening and break down some of the cultural barriers . For instance , many women put the needs of the rest of their family before their own . `` We need to be there for children and grandchildren ; it 's important we get in there and get those mammograms , '' Saavedra said . Dalila Romero , a co-founder of Comadre a Comadre , had breast cancer in her mid-40s . At the time , she had recently lost her mother to pancreatic cancer . The support group she tried did n't resonate with her ; she could n't connect with the women there , who had different backgrounds and life stories from her own . `` Not knowing the resources in the community , I had to basically support myself because I did n't know what the outcome was going to be , '' Romero said . Now she goes with women with recent diagnoses to their initial appointments for chemotherapy , radiation and surgery to help them navigate the system . Helping patients navigate health care system . Some women are private about their struggle with cancer , so much so they do n't want to sit around other women who have it . Romero knows of one woman who moved because she did n't want anyone in her town to know she had cancer . When she learned about Nueva Vida , Rodriguez immediately liked the idea of finding support in other women who also had cancer , but she held back at first in telling her parents in Peru until doctors were sure of what it was . `` I did n't want my mom to get sad because she 's over there and I 'm here , '' she said . `` I did n't want to worry them . I took time to tell them . '' Clear of cancer , Rodriguez is currently a Zumba instructor through Nueva Vida , and loves teaching . The women in this organization have a lot of need , she said . They are , she said , her `` sister survivors . ''
Hispanics have a lower cancer rate and mortality than whites and blacks . This phenomenon is part of what is called the ` ` Hispanic Effect '' Financial and linguistic differences in the Hispanic community may hinder research .