Patient and family member perspectives on searching for cancer clinical trials: A qualitative interview study.
Jennifer L Ridgeway, Gladys B Asiedu, Katherine Carroll and 3 others
PMID 27578272WHAT IT FOUND
At diagnosis, one-third of ovarian cancer patients first heard of trials when offered treatment; many deferred searching to providers.
Families rarely searched alone, and participants wanted clearer expectations about who would look for trials.
Key findings
01Many patients deferred gathering trial information to providers because they found it difficult to sift through search results.
02At diagnosis, one-third of patients first learned about a trial when it was offered as a treatment option, and only three reported actively searching or asking providers about trials then.
03Family members rarely searched for trial opportunities; only one actively looked at diagnosis and two attempted internet searches after recurrence, but almost all would seek information about a new trial if they heard of it.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was not longitudinal, so changes over the disease course were based on participants' recollection. All patients had been presented a trial opportunity at some point, and recruitment was from two comprehensive cancer centers, so it says little about patients who were never offered trials or who face greater barriers. The sample was largely white, non-Hispanic and had high levels of educational attainment, and 88% of patients had stage 3 or 4 disease, limiting early-stage and broader population experiences. The study reports experiences and suggestions, not tested effects on trial enrollment or outcomes.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest statement is included in the article text; the publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these findings as evidence that newsletters, explicit conversations, or trial-search education increase trial enrollment or improve outcomes. The study describes patient and family experiences and suggestions, not tested interventions.