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Clinical trial awareness, attitudes, and participation among patients with cancer and oncologists
1 Lung Cancer Alliance, Washington, DC, and 2 Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Low accrual rates may affect the completion of clinical trials essential to the development of new cancer therapies. Patient and physician attitudes and awareness of clinical trials directly impact clinical trial participation and are critical for the progress of cancer research. We undertook a study to assess the views of oncology patients and physicians regarding clinical trials. We analyzed data from a US national online survey conducted among 200 patients with lung cancer, 206 patients with other cancers, and 200 oncologists between August 9 and 18, 2006. Participants were consistent as a group, providing a number of perceived advantages and disadvantages to enrolling in trials. Sixteen percent of the patients were aware of relevant clinical trials at the time of treatment decisions, and physicians were cited as the patient’s primary source of clinical trial information. Eighty-one percent of the patients reported that they did not discuss clinical trial participation with their physicians, although 84% of oncologists reported that they usually or always discussed clinical trials with patients. The study’s findings suggest that low awareness and misperceptions about clinical trials are key barriers to clinical trial participation among patients. Although multiple factors influence patients’ and physicians’ decisions to participate in clinical trials, better overall communication between patients and oncologists about clinical trials is needed.
| Commun Oncol 2009;6:207–213 | full text |  281 kb |