Cultural and Linguistic Adaptation of a Breast Reconstruction Decision Tool - AIM2

Breast reconstruction is a critical component of breast cancer treatment because it restores quality of life and body image after mastectomy. However, Spanish-speaking Latina women are significantly less likely to undergo reconstruction (13.5% vs. 41% for non-Latina White or highly acculturated Latina), meet with a reconstructive surgeon (18.1% vs. 72.6% for non-Latina White), or receive adequate information. Spanish-speaking Latina breast cancer survivors who do not have reconstruction experience the highest rates of decisional dissatisfaction and regret, compared to any other group of breast cancer survivors.

Persons diagnosed with cancer who primarily speak Spanish and identify as Latin American (hereafter we use the term "Spanish-speaking Latinx/a cancer survivor") are less likely to receive guideline-concordant treatment and more likely to have poor cancer outcomes. One way to improve guideline-concordant treatment is through shared decision-making and decision support. When a decision is preference-sensitive (the right choice depends on the person's preferences), such as decisions about breast reconstruction after mastectomy, decision aids are effective. Unfortunately, most decision aids in the United States are written in English and developed or tested with few Latinx people.

The BREASTChoice decision aid, proven effective in two randomized controlled trials, addresses knowledge gaps in breast cancer survivors. This study focuses on developing a Spanish-language version of BREASTChoice, which was previously unavailable. For that reason, the Cultural and Linguistic Adaptation Framework (CLAF) incorporates qualitative and experiential data to adapt BREASTChoice. The adaptation process takes place in five steps: appraise, review, assess, solicit, and integrate.