Background
Advances in cancer care take place through cancer clinical trials (CT), yet <10% of patients enroll in CT. Lack of CT knowledge is a documented barrier.
Methods
An educational video (English, Spanish, Mandarin) was developed with pre- and post-intervention assessments to assess knowledge gaps, intention to share CT information, and interest in CT enrollment. Participants included a general population (GP) and persons with a cancer diagnosis (PwCa). A McNemar test was used to assess differences in knowledge assessment scores (11 questions) and intention-to-share information/participate in CT (6 questions).
Results
Of the total 363 GP and 116 PwCa participants, 178 and 55 completed both pre- and post-assessments, respectively. The mean GP age was 30 yrs (sd: 7 yrs) and 55 yrs (sd: 17.8 yrs) (PwCa). For the GP, knowledge scores improved for the following questions: “You can only join a CT after you have tried all other options (p=0.002)”, “CTs test whether a new medicine or treatment works (p=0.031)” and “Once I sign a consent form, I must stay in the CT until my doctor tells me I’m done (p=0.0001).” For intention-to-share information and participate in CT (GP), scores improved for gaining more information about CT from their physicians and discussing CT with family (p<0.05). For PwCa, knowledge scores improved for “In a CT, a patient will always get the new medicine or treatment being tested” (p=0.003). For intention-to-share information and participate in CT (PwCa), the intention to participate in CT improved significantly (p<0.05).
Conclusions
Although both GP and PwCa participants demonstrated a good baseline understanding of CTs, knowledge improvements were documented in both groups. Further, the educational intervention influenced PwCa’s interest in CT enrollment. Our next phase of investigation is evaluating CT enrollment, thereby assessing the long-term impact of the educational intervention on CT participation decision-making processes.