Preguntas Sobre Cáncer (Questions About Cancer): Analysis of Spanish Inquiries to the National Cancer Institute's...

Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the United States (US). The majority of Spanish speakers in the US identify as Hispanic/Latino individuals, a population for whom cancer is the leading cause of death. This descriptive study examined cancer information-seeking patterns among Spanish-speaking users of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (CIS), a free and publicly available cancer information resource. Between January 2019 and December 2025, the CIS received 19,280 Spanish-language inquiries from caregivers (33.4%), members of the general public (28.3%), tobacco users (19.7%), and cancer survivors (18.7%). Overall, access channel varied by client type, however, LiveHelp instant messaging was the most frequently used channel, followed by telephone, email, and social media. Spanish-language users' inquiries focused primarily on cancer staging and treatment, particularly among cancer survivors and caregivers. Members of the general public were more likely to seek general information unrelated to a specific phase of the cancer continuum, whereas tobacco users most often asked about cessation or counseling. The most frequently discussed cancer sites were breast, prostate, colorectal, cervical, and lung, with breast cancer ranking highest across all client types. Over 1,000 inquiries were related to COVID-19, most of them from Spanish-speaking cancer survivors. These findings provide insight into health information-seeking patterns to the CIS among Spanish-speaking individuals over the past seven years, underscoring the importance of maintaining a trusted source of timely and high-quality cancer information that may help improve cancer-related outcomes in this growing population.