Breaking language barriers in blood cancer clinical trials
How can AI help make blood cancer trials more inclusive? Discover how healthcare professionals plan to test a voice to voice translation device to improve communication and understanding of blood cancer clinical trials.
Project information
Project team: Amparo Domingo-Lacasa (Cancer Research UK Senior Research Nurse), Lorna Fern (Senior Research Fellow in Teenage and Young Adult Cancers), Prof. Cecilia Vindrola-Padros (Professorial Research Fellow and Director of Rapid Research and Evaluation Lab), Dan Paschoud (Clinical Simulation and Skills Facilitator)
Institution: University College London Hospitals
Why this matters
Healthcare professionals at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) are addressing the under-representation of ethnic minority patients in blood cancer clinical trials. They identified a key barrier to understanding clinical trials is language; many patients do not speak English as their first or preferred language, which limits their ability to understand trial information, communicate symptoms, and engage in follow-up care.
Interpreter services are often unavailable during short or urgent appointments, especially follow-ups, where patients report side effects and emotional concerns. This leads to missed clinical information, reduced trial retention, and poorer outcomes.
Additionally, ethnicity and language data are inconsistently recorded, making it difficult to design inclusive research and improve support for diverse communities.
The project at a glance
The project team will work closely with patients and professionals to identify barriers to trial participation among ethnic minority groups. They’ll co-design solutions through a multilingual steering group, test AI powered voice to voice translation tools in simulated trial settings, and assess their accuracy, usability, and cultural sensitivity.
Looking ahead
This project has the potential to transform how clinical trials are delivered to ethnically diverse populations:
- Improved trial access for patients who don’t speak English fluently, helping them make informed choices.
- Instant two-way communication between patients and professionals using AI translation, reducing reliance on interpreters.
- Greater patient independence, allowing individuals to express sensitive or personal concerns without needing family or staff to translate.
- Enhanced safety and care, with better reporting of side effects and psychosocial impacts.
- More inclusive research, ensuring treatments are tested across diverse populations.
- Scalable impact, with potential to reach ~2,000 non-English-speaking trial participants at UCLH and expand to other specialties.
- Better data quality, improving the recording of ethnicity and language needs.
- Supports health equity, helping close gaps in access and outcomes for under-served communities.
Meet the grant holders
Explore innovative projects funded through our Clinical Improvement Programme. See how healthcare professionals across the UK are improving access and awareness of blood cancer clinical trials.