Table 4.
Type of Visit* | No. | % |
---|---|---|
Clinical trial never mentioned | 100 | 43 |
Clinical trial mentioned, physician rejects trial option | 27 | 11 |
Clinical trial mentioned, patient rejects trial option | 0 | 00 |
Clinical trial discussed, no offer made | 44 | 19 |
Clinical trial discussed, explicit offer made (where patient can respond either “yes” or “no” to the opportunity) | 47 | 20 |
Other | 8 | 03 |
Video/audio recording problems (not useable) | 9 | 04 |
Total | 235† | 100 |
NOTE. Sample size includes both study sites. Refusal rates were unavailable for the first cancer center. At the second cancer center, 151 patients and their family/ companions were invited to participate in the project, and 108 (72%) agreed.
There were no instances in which a physician mentioned a clinical trial (or began to discuss it) and the patient rejected the option outright. Of visits observed, 84% were first visits; 72% of visits where clinical trials were explicitly offered were first visits. Ninety-four percent of the patients were in interactions where trials were offered; 77% of patients in interactions where trials were not explicitly offered knew they had a cancer diagnosis, and treatment options were discussed.
The majority of patients were diagnosed with respiratory cancers (42%), followed by digestive (22%), leukemia/myeloma/lymphoma (14%); breast (5%); male genital (5%); other (5%); and not cancer/unconfirmed (7%; classified by Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results categories). Patients receiving a trial offer were diagnosed as follows: respiratory cancers (23%); digestive (30%); leukemia/myeloma/lymphoma (11%); breast (8%); other (17%); and no cancer/not confirmed (0%).