Abstract PS5-12-06: Supporting language access for persons with a breast cancer diagnosis

Abstract Background: Limited English Proficiency (LEP) serves as a barrier to cancer healthcare. LEP may result in miscommunication and misunderstanding around critical cancer care information and decreased engagement around digital health tools which are ubiquitous in cancer care. These factors contribute to treatment non-adherence and reduced participation in clinical trials. LEP is generally addressed by engaging certified medical interpreters or clinicians proficient in the patient's language, either in-person or virtually as per the CLAS Standards. The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC) at Thomas Jefferson University serves a diverse patient population across five practice sites. At its central Philadelphia location, approximately 13% of patients document a preference for communication with a language other than English. Methods: To assess our efforts at addressing LEP, we conducted a retrospective chart review to evaluate how often patient language services are documented in the Electronic Medical Record (EMR). Persons with a breast cancer diagnosis who self-identified their language preference as a language other than English and who had a clinic visit in central Philadelphia between January 1 and March 31, 2025 were evaluated. Clinical notes from the most recent clinic visit were reviewed for documentation of interpreter services utilization. Results: Out of 5,054 clinical visits during this period, 326 (6.5%) involved a language preference other than English. Of these, 40 visits (12.3%) were for patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Among these breast cancer patients, the most common preferred languages were Cantonese (30.0%), Spanish (25.0%), Mandarin (22.5%), and Indonesian (5.0%). Interpreter usage was recorded in 18 (45.0%) of the breast cancer patient visits, which aligns closely with the overall clinic rate of 47.9%. For these breast cancer visits: • GLOBO, the telecom translation service used at SKCCC, was used 5 times (27.8%)-36.5% for the entire clinic population. • In-person interpreters were used 6 times (33.3%)-26.9% for the entire clinic population. • A physician fluent in the patient’s preferred language conducted the breast cancer visits on 2 occasions (5.0%)-8.3% for the entire clinic population. • The interpreter type was unspecified 7 times (38.9%)-22.4% for the entire clinic population. Overall, the breast cancer data are not significantly different from those of the entire clinic population suggesting data reliability. Conclusion: These data may indicate incomplete documentation of interpreter usage, instances where patients declined interpreter services, or situations where interpreters were not utilized as per CLAS standards. Our next steps include a quality improvement initiative aimed at enhancing language access for patients with a preferred language other than English who are receiving breast cancer care at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center by proactively engaging interpreter services at appointment initiation and maintaining that connection virtually via the EMR. Citation Format: J. Kim, J. Witkowski, N. Nikita, O. Trachtenberg, A. López. Supporting language access for persons with a breast cancer diagnosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS5-12-06.