Abstract B056: Barriers to cancer screening in medically vulnerable catchment communities in Southern California

Abstract Introduction: About 65.4% of the City of Hope Catchment Communities are from demographics with distinct yet actionable gaps in cancer prevention and control. One actionable step is improved cancer screening. This study aims to identify potential barriers to receiving standard of care cancer screening in these medically vulnerable communities. Methods: In collaboration with community organizations and health leaders, data was collected using surveys at community events (e.g., health fairs) from March 2023 to December 2024. Self-reported demographic information and potential obstacles to screening were obtained. Analyses were conducted using SPSS. Results: 1,108 participants were included in these analyses and excluded incomplete responses. Participants were White (23.2%), 10.4% African American (AA), 17.9% Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), 19.0% Latinx (L), 0.9% Native American, and 10.8% Others. Chi-squared test was conducted to identify potential barriers to each ethnicity. Health team/provider does not provide information/education about cancer screening was endorsed as a barrier for AA (χ2=5.14, p=0.05), L (χ2=15.33, p0.001), and AAPI (χ2=12.78, p=0.004). Latinx also reported healthcare system lack trustworthiness (χ2=16.48, p0.001) is a barrier to them. Meanwhile, barriers for both Latinx and AAPI are similar, including no regular place/medical home to get care (L: χ2=7.61, p=0.01; AAPI: χ2=7.54, p=0.02), do not know where to go get screening (L: χ2=13.45, p=0.002; AAPI: χ2=15.48, p=0.002), healthcare system/healthcare provider does not treat me with respect/dignity (L: χ2=11.07, p=0.01; AAPI: χ2=6.37, p=0.04), lack of recommendation/prescription for cancer screening by a healthcare provider (L: χ2=10.43, p=0.01; AAPI: χ2=6.38, p=0.03), language (L: χ2=5.14, p=0.05; AAPL: χ2=12.21, p=0.01), cost (L: χ2=8.94, p=0.01, APPI: χ2=17.14, p0.001), should not screen/look for cancer when they have no symptoms (L: χ2=8.94, p=0.01; AAPI: χ2=5.54, p=0.04), fear/worry about finding cancer (L: χ2=17.12, p0.001; AAPI: χ2=11.07, p=0.01), and need to focus on urgent needs, e.g., food and housing (L: χ2=11.07, p=0.01; AAPI: χ2=6.82, p=0.05). Latinx participants also reported practice in their friend group (χ2=8.94, p=0.01), community (χ2=8.94, p=0.01), and stigma (χ2=5.51, p=0.05) influence cancer screening. Discussion: Findings addressed the existence of multilevel barriers to receiving cancer screening in vulnerable Catchment communities. Efforts to promote cancer screening ought to remain a priority. Cancer educational and screening programs should be developed to attend to health system (cost, convenience. Medical home); provider (quality of care, trustworthiness, recommendation); societal drivers (competing demands); social network/contexts with friend, family and community practices being most influential in descending order; myths, and emotional (e.g., fear of cancer) factors to improve access and uptake of life-saving cancer screening. Citation Format: Gaole Song, Sophia Yeung, Brenda Gascon, Diana Tam, Hadel Jabara, Narissa Nonzee, Kimlin Ashing. Barriers to cancer screening in medically vulnerable catchment communities in Southern California abstract. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B056.