Cancer reports
Patient and Caregiver Reported Barriers to Cancer Clinical Trial Participation: A Scoping Review
By Scruton S, Ito C, Bohnen J and 15 others.
Abstract
Background
The development of cancer treatments relies on patient participation in clinical trials, yet poor recruitment and retention hinder evidence generation. There exists an urgent need for trial designs that address patient-identified barriers, informational gaps, and concerns. The goal of this evidence synthesis was to identify patient- and caregiver-reported barriers to trial participation and retention.
Methods
We conducted a search in PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify studies describing patient- and caregiver-reported barriers to cancer clinical trial participation. Eligible studies included qualitative or quantitative research published in the English language that reported barriers experienced by individuals with cancer or their caregivers. Four authors screened titles and abstracts, followed by full-text review and data abstraction of included studies. Qualitative results were summarized narratively, and quantitative findings were described using descriptive statistics. Barriers and recommendations for improved clinical trial design were categorized into thematic groups.