Cancer: Beliefs and Attitudes of Migrant Latinos

To the Editor. —In their article Misconceptions About Cancer Among Latinos and Anglos, Dr Perez-Stable and associates 1 present evidence that misconceptions about cancer are more common among Latinos than Anglos enrolled in a large health maintenance organization (HMO), and that many of the prevalent attitudes among Latinos fit a cultural theme of fatalismo . Latino migrant farmworkers face many cultural and socioeconomic barriers to effective cancer control. 2,3 In addition, migrant farmworkers' exposure to agrichemicals places them at increased risk for a variety of acute and chronic conditions, including cancer. 4 With funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 5 we conducted a survey of Latino migrant farmworkers to assess cancer-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices. As part of our research effort, we compared the level of myth and misconception in a poor and medically underserved Latino migrant population with the previously published results for Latino and Anglo