The Role of Language Barriers in Cancer Screening & Diagnosis

This systematic review looks at studies assessing the role limited English proficiency may play in the receipt of screening and how that may affect the stage at which an LEP patient is diagnosed. By conducting two individual searches, the first examining the relationship between language barriers and cancer screening and the second between screening and stage of diagnosis, this review serves to show the correlation between language barriers and stage of diagnosis, which is a critical but understudied topic. Made by searching through multiple databases, sifting through the results, and reading dozens of abstracts, this review is compiled of studies that both met the inclusion criteria and weren’t greatly influenced by other factors besides language. It was made to show the patterns that exist in health care and reveal the disparities that people with language barriers may face in receipt of cancer screening and time of cancer diagnosis.