Cancer Care Access Is Hindered for Non-English Speakers

For non-English-speaking patients, linguistic disparities limit access to cancer care, according to a study published the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Debbie W. Chen, MD, and colleagues conducted a study involving trained investigators who were assigned to the roles of English-, Spanish-, and Mandarin-speaking patients who called the general information telephone line of 144 hospitals located across 12 demographically diverse states. Callers were looking to access care for three cancer types that disproportionately impact Hispanic and Asian populations. The primary outcome was whether the simulated patient caller was provided with the next steps to access cancer care. About half (52.9%) of the 1,296 calls led to the next steps to access cancer care. Compared with English-speaking patient callers, non-English- speaking callers were significantly less likely to be provided with the next steps (Mandarin, 27.5%; Spanish, 37.7%; English, 93.5%). Significant associations for the primary outcome were seen for language spoken (ORs, 0.02 and 0.04 for Mandarin and Spanish, respectively) and for hospital teaching status (OR, 0.43 for non-teaching vs teaching).