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Published on: February 26, 2019
Recruitment methods employed in the National Lung Screening Trial
Pamela M Marcus1, Suzanne Lenz, Donna Sammons
1Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA. marcusp@mail.nih.gov
Journal of Medical Screening
|June 2, 2012
Summary
Direct mail enrolled the most participants in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) for lung cancer screening. However, direct mail was the most expensive recruitment method per enrollee.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Trials
- Public Health
- Cancer Screening
Background:
- The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) was a large randomized controlled trial (RCT) in the US.
- This trial evaluated low-dose helical computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening.
- NLST demonstrated a 20% reduction in lung cancer mortality compared to chest X-ray screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document participant recruitment experiences in the NLST.
- To provide insights for future large-scale screening trial recruitment strategies.
- To analyze the effectiveness and cost of various recruitment methods.
Main Methods:
- A post-recruitment questionnaire was administered to center coordinators.
- The questionnaire assessed the utilization and cost-effectiveness of different recruitment strategies.
- Data on the number of participants enrolled via each method and associated costs were collected.
Main Results:
- Twenty-two of thirty-three centers returned questionnaires.
- Recruitment methods varied across participating centers.
- Direct mail enrolled the largest number of participants (approx. 19,000), followed by mass media (approx. 4,200) and community outreach (approx. 1,000).
Conclusions:
- Direct mail was the predominant recruitment method in the NLST.
- Community outreach yielded the lowest cost per enrollee ($4).
- Direct mail had the highest median cost per enrollee ($101), despite enrolling the most participants.
