Understanding Associations Between Patient-Level Factors and Participation in a Breast Cancer Clinical Trial.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Clinical Trials
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Breast cancer (BC) clinical trials are crucial for novel treatments but often lack diverse patient representation.
• Patient sociodemographics, attitudes, and knowledge may influence participation in BC clinical trials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the association between patient sociodemographics, attitudes, and knowledge and participation in breast cancer clinical trials.
• To identify factors that could improve diversity and enrollment in clinical trials.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of survey data from 612 women with a BC diagnosis collected by TBCRC and PAF.
• Assessed BC clinical trial participation, attitudes (Attitudes Toward Cancer Trials Scale), knowledge, and sociodemographics.
• Employed descriptive, bivariate analyses (Cramer's V, Cohen's d), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to estimate standardized total effects (b_Tot).

Main Results:

• 18% of respondents reported trial participation.
• Positive attitudes toward trials were significantly associated with participation (Cohen's d = 0.48).
• Attitudes and knowledge were positively associated with trial participation across both cohorts (b_Tot ranging from 0.13 to 0.22) and knowledge was associated with attitudes (b_Tot ranging from 0.15 to 0.27).

Conclusions:

• Positive attitudes and higher knowledge are associated with breast cancer clinical trial participation.
• Interventions promoting positive attitudes and increased trial education may enhance enrollment and diversity.
• Further research is needed to confirm direct causal effects of trials on participation.