Patient Perception of Gynecologic Cancer Clinical Trial Participation in the Deep South
Location
Medical Education Building, LSUHSC-NO
Presentation Date
10-10-2019 10:00 AM
End Date
10-10-2019 12:00 PM
Description
Objectives: To assess the attitudes toward as well as barriers and incentives to clinical trial participation (CTP) amongst women with gynecologic cancer in New Orleans, Louisiana
Methods: After IRB approval, from May to July 2019, a voluntary 25 item paper survey was administered to women with gynecologic cancer at 2 outpatient gynecological oncology clinics at a single academic institution assessing beliefs regarding CTP. Demographics were recorded from the medical record. Survey responses were tabulated to evaluate the patients’ overall composite attitudes toward CTP [(5-7) positive or (0-4) negative], and responses to individual questions [disagree (0-2), neutral (3-4), agree (5-7)]. The Fisher exact test was applied.
Results: Of the 51 participants, 51.0% were black women (BW), 64.7% were > 50 years old, 43.1% were college-educated, 62.5% were obese, 45.1% were in a committed relationship, and 43.1% were independently mobile. The overall median composite score toward CTP was 3.8 (95% CI 3.7 - 4.1); this was not significantly different between groups. More BW disagreed that clinical trials were unnecessary when compared to white women (WW) (26.9% vs 4.2%, p=0.025) but more likely to disagree that women who participate in trials benefited (40.7% vs 12.5%, p=0.002). BW were less likely than WW to agree that the risks of clinical trials were shared equally between races (62.5% vs. 95.8%, p=0.010). Women without college education more often than college educated women disagreed that CTP provided the best cancer treatments (65.5% vs 28.6%, p=0.014) or that CTP will help others in the future (96.6% vs 72.7%, p=0.016). Women reported the following incentives for CTP as “quite” or “extremely” important: future benefit for others (88.2%), personal benefit (64.7%), non-monetary incentives (28.6%), money for time (19.1%), identifying cancer team members of the same race (4.1%).
Conclusions: In this diverse Deep South gynecologic cancer population, perception of CTP is poor. BW expressed concerns regarding benefit for trial participants and equal risk sharing between races. Women with less formal education were less likely to see CTP as an opportunity to receive the best cancer care or to help others in the future. We must make efforts to communicate the power of CTP to improve cancer outcomes and narrow health disparities to our underserved patients and communities.
Recommended Citation
Rezvani, N. L.; Gilbert, O. E.; Smith, C. R.; and Chapple, A. G., "Patient Perception of Gynecologic Cancer Clinical Trial Participation in the Deep South" (2019). Medical Student Research Poster Symposium. 15.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/sommrd/2019/posters/15
Patient Perception of Gynecologic Cancer Clinical Trial Participation in the Deep South
Medical Education Building, LSUHSC-NO
Objectives: To assess the attitudes toward as well as barriers and incentives to clinical trial participation (CTP) amongst women with gynecologic cancer in New Orleans, Louisiana
Methods: After IRB approval, from May to July 2019, a voluntary 25 item paper survey was administered to women with gynecologic cancer at 2 outpatient gynecological oncology clinics at a single academic institution assessing beliefs regarding CTP. Demographics were recorded from the medical record. Survey responses were tabulated to evaluate the patients’ overall composite attitudes toward CTP [(5-7) positive or (0-4) negative], and responses to individual questions [disagree (0-2), neutral (3-4), agree (5-7)]. The Fisher exact test was applied.
Results: Of the 51 participants, 51.0% were black women (BW), 64.7% were > 50 years old, 43.1% were college-educated, 62.5% were obese, 45.1% were in a committed relationship, and 43.1% were independently mobile. The overall median composite score toward CTP was 3.8 (95% CI 3.7 - 4.1); this was not significantly different between groups. More BW disagreed that clinical trials were unnecessary when compared to white women (WW) (26.9% vs 4.2%, p=0.025) but more likely to disagree that women who participate in trials benefited (40.7% vs 12.5%, p=0.002). BW were less likely than WW to agree that the risks of clinical trials were shared equally between races (62.5% vs. 95.8%, p=0.010). Women without college education more often than college educated women disagreed that CTP provided the best cancer treatments (65.5% vs 28.6%, p=0.014) or that CTP will help others in the future (96.6% vs 72.7%, p=0.016). Women reported the following incentives for CTP as “quite” or “extremely” important: future benefit for others (88.2%), personal benefit (64.7%), non-monetary incentives (28.6%), money for time (19.1%), identifying cancer team members of the same race (4.1%).
Conclusions: In this diverse Deep South gynecologic cancer population, perception of CTP is poor. BW expressed concerns regarding benefit for trial participants and equal risk sharing between races. Women with less formal education were less likely to see CTP as an opportunity to receive the best cancer care or to help others in the future. We must make efforts to communicate the power of CTP to improve cancer outcomes and narrow health disparities to our underserved patients and communities.