Assessment of Compliance With ASCO Language of Respect Guidelines in Renal Cell Carcinoma Abstracts

The ASCO Language of Respect (LOR) Guidelines were developed in 2020 to promote patient-respectful language in abstracts and presentations. We assessed adherence to LOR guidelines among renal cell carcinoma (RCC) abstracts presented at the 2023 and 2019 ASCO Annual Meetings.

We systematically evaluated each statement in all RCC abstracts for compliance with the three clauses of LOR guidelines: "Do not blame patients," "Respect the role of patients," and "Do not dehumanize patients." Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify factors associated with noncompliance.

Among 101 abstracts from 2023, the majority involved clinical research (66.3%) and had a character count at limit, defined as within 5% of the 2,600-character limit (51.5%). In 60.4% of abstracts, at least one statement violated the LOR guidelines. Proportions of abstracts with one or more statements with dehumanizing, blaming, or disrespectful language were 46.5%, 21.8%, and 1.0%, respectively. Among all variables examined, including research and author characteristics, abstracts at character limit emerged as the only category with significantly higher rates of noncompliance (62.3% v 35.0%, P = .013). Multivariable analyses showed an odds ratio of 3.3 (95% CI, 1.4 to 7.6, P = .006) for abstracts at character limit to have at least one noncompliant statement. Notably, even among abstracts not at character limit, 46.9% contained statements violating the guidelines. Between 2019 and 2023, the rate of statements that violated the LOR guidelines decreased from 71.0% to 60.4%.

A significant proportion of RCC abstracts contain language inconsistent with LOR guidelines. Although character limit is a likely contributor, our report highlights the need for our professional societies and abstract reviewers to cultivate greater awareness and adherence to patient-respectful language.