Doctors Mum About Clinical Trial Option for Cancer Patients
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In the largest survey ever of cancer patients and their participation in clinical trials, 84% of patients said their doctors never mentioned the possibility of enrolling in a drug trial to treat their disease, according to a report at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting here.
Harris pollsters conducted telephone interviews with 5,980 cancer patients, of whom 959 (16%) were aware of a clinical trial option. Among the 959 patients, 252 (26%) participated in a clinical trial. Most of those who were aware of the clinical trial option but did not participate (non-participants) cited concerns about their insurer not covering costs and about traveling long distances for care.
, 百拇医药
Seventy-seven percent of the 252 participants first heard of the clinical trial option through their doctor, compared with only 35% of the 707 non-participants. Ninety percent of trial participants said their doctors made "a great effort" to find a trial for them, compared with only 6% of non-participants.
About one-third of non-participants said they thought standard care might be more effective than that in a clinical trial, and an equal number worried about receiving a placebo, "a rare possibility these days when a new treatment is usually compared to standard care," observed Robert Comis, MD, president of the Coalition of National Cancer Cooperative Groups and lead author of a study based on the findings.
, 百拇医药
"The 250 men and women polled who actually took part in clinical trials were overwhelmingly satisfied with their treatment."
Almost all of the 252 participants in drug studies said they were treated with dignity and respect: 83% felt they had received "excellent care"; 86% were covered by insurance; and 76% would tell loved ones with cancer to consider a trial.
A specialist well-versed in managing clinical trials told Internal Medicine World Report that getting physicians to encourage patients to enter trials is not easy. Many physicians could "substantially increase their patients’ participation in Phase II and III clinical trials but lack the resources to do so," said James P. O’Brien, MD, senior director of oncology, medical and scientific affairs at PharmaNet, a Princeton-based global drug development organization. They would need "to offset the cost of specialized support staff and receive appropriate compensation" for the added time spent with patients in trials.
, 百拇医药
The Harris pollsters also contacted randomly by mail 200 primary care physicians (including internists) and 225 oncologists. They asked some 80 questions about clinical trials; the answers are now being analyzed.
In June, President Clinton directed the Department of Health and Human Services to revise Medicare payment policy to explicitly reimburse providers for the cost of routine patient care associated with participation in clinical trials. "America’s seniors are badly underrepresented in clinical trials, yet they bear the heaviest share of illness," the president said.
Elderly individuals make up 33% of participants in cancer clinical trials., 百拇医药
Harris pollsters conducted telephone interviews with 5,980 cancer patients, of whom 959 (16%) were aware of a clinical trial option. Among the 959 patients, 252 (26%) participated in a clinical trial. Most of those who were aware of the clinical trial option but did not participate (non-participants) cited concerns about their insurer not covering costs and about traveling long distances for care.
, 百拇医药
Seventy-seven percent of the 252 participants first heard of the clinical trial option through their doctor, compared with only 35% of the 707 non-participants. Ninety percent of trial participants said their doctors made "a great effort" to find a trial for them, compared with only 6% of non-participants.
About one-third of non-participants said they thought standard care might be more effective than that in a clinical trial, and an equal number worried about receiving a placebo, "a rare possibility these days when a new treatment is usually compared to standard care," observed Robert Comis, MD, president of the Coalition of National Cancer Cooperative Groups and lead author of a study based on the findings.
, 百拇医药
"The 250 men and women polled who actually took part in clinical trials were overwhelmingly satisfied with their treatment."
Almost all of the 252 participants in drug studies said they were treated with dignity and respect: 83% felt they had received "excellent care"; 86% were covered by insurance; and 76% would tell loved ones with cancer to consider a trial.
A specialist well-versed in managing clinical trials told Internal Medicine World Report that getting physicians to encourage patients to enter trials is not easy. Many physicians could "substantially increase their patients’ participation in Phase II and III clinical trials but lack the resources to do so," said James P. O’Brien, MD, senior director of oncology, medical and scientific affairs at PharmaNet, a Princeton-based global drug development organization. They would need "to offset the cost of specialized support staff and receive appropriate compensation" for the added time spent with patients in trials.
, 百拇医药
The Harris pollsters also contacted randomly by mail 200 primary care physicians (including internists) and 225 oncologists. They asked some 80 questions about clinical trials; the answers are now being analyzed.
In June, President Clinton directed the Department of Health and Human Services to revise Medicare payment policy to explicitly reimburse providers for the cost of routine patient care associated with participation in clinical trials. "America’s seniors are badly underrepresented in clinical trials, yet they bear the heaviest share of illness," the president said.
Elderly individuals make up 33% of participants in cancer clinical trials., 百拇医药