# Post-Hurricane Cancer Care: Patient Needs after Hurricane Maria

> **NIH NIH R21** · PONCE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2022 · $509,208

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico (PR) on September 20, 2017 as Category 5 storm,
killing at least 64 people and causing an estimated $90 billion in damage. Cancer patients are
particularly vulnerable to the devastation caused by Maria; it is estimated that 90% of patients
have experienced interruptions in their care. The current study will describe unmet medical and
psychological needs as well as barriers and facilitators to care in cancer patients in PR. In
addition, Maria presents a unique opportunity to study the intersection of stress and cancer,
specifically the impact of extreme physical and mental stress on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
(HPA) axis functioning which is known to affect cancer biology. Study aims are to: 1) to
describe unmet medical and psychological needs over time among cancer patients in PR
affected by Hurricane Maria, 2) to identify multilevel barriers and facilitators to access to care,
and 3) to explore putative physiological markers of stress in patients and a matched sample of
non-cancer controls affected by Hurricane Maria. The current study leverages a longstanding
U54-funded partnership between Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) and Moffitt Cancer
Center. Resources include an Community Outreach Core and the Puerto Rico Biobank as well
as a history of collaboration among members of the research team.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10303007
- **Project number:** 3R21MD013674-02S3
- **Recipient organization:** PONCE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Eida Maria Castro
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $509,208
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-09-17 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10303007

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10303007, Post-Hurricane Cancer Care: Patient Needs after Hurricane Maria (3R21MD013674-02S3). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10303007. Licensed CC0.

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