medwireNews: A survey of cancer survivors shows that almost a fifth would be less likely to participate in a clinical trial during the pandemic due to fears about COVID-19.
“This observation was limited by reliance on a survey of volunteers with cancer, whose demographics and attitudes toward trial participation may not be representative of all patients with cancer,” caution the researchers.
They add, however, that “the difference between those less vs more willing to participate in trials in light of the pandemic was stark, was consistently observed across evaluable demographic/socioeconomic patient groups, and extended even to those who previously agreed to participate and who had the most imminent opportunity to enroll.”
As reported in a research letter to JAMA Oncology, responses were received from 30.6% of the 3054 members of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s Survivor Views panel who were sent the questionnaire between May 27 and June 17, 2020.
A third (33.9%) of the 933 respondents reported a conversation with their physician regarding clinical trials, and 20.6% were offered participation in a trial, with the majority (78.1%) agreeing to participate. Of the 192 respondents offered a trial, 60.4% eventually enrolled, which gave an overall participation rate of 12.4%.
When questioned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their willingness to participate in clinical trials, 79.5% of the 907 respondents indicated no difference, but 18.1% were less likely to participate and 2.4% were more likely to participate.
The main reason for the reduced willingness was fear of increased exposure to COVID-19 (70.1%), followed by the difficulty accessing care during the pandemic (18.3%).
“The present findings suggest that as long as high rates of COVID-19 cases exist, patients with cancer will be less likely to consider trial participation even when sites return to pre-pandemic status,” write Mark Fleury (American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Washington, DC, USA).
“The National Cancer Institute and the US Food and Drug Administration have provided guidance on increasing flexibility for trial investigators during the COVID-19 pandemic,” they highlight.
And the team concludes: “Trial sponsors will need to take full advantage of the approaches indicated in these guidelines to better address patient fears about clinical trial participation while the COVID-19 pandemic endures.”
medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2020 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group
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