Overcoming challenges of recruiting cancer patients into clinical trials: insights from a randomized trial of app-based smoking cessation interventions.
Margarita Santiago-Torres, Johann Lee Westmaas, Jamie S Ostroff, Kristin E Mull, Brianna M Sullivan, Joseph M Unger, Jonathan B Bricker
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Behavioral clinical trials among cancer patients often fail to meet recruitment goals - especially for underrepresented groups. Comparing recruitment strategies on participant accrual and cost can inform the use of cost-effective recruitment strategies for enrollment of diverse populations of cancer patients. In this study, we compared social media, internet sites, and clinic-based recruitment on accrual, cost, and characteristics of cancer patients (i.e., sociodemographic, cancer type/stage, and smoking habits) enrolled in a randomized trial of app-based smoking cessation interventions. Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables and analysis of variance for continuous variables were used to compared data between recruitment strategies. In 35 months, 427 cancer patients from 45 US states enrolled in the trial out of 3,936 screened (rate of participation, 10.8%). Social media recruited over eight times the number of enrolled participants (n=340, 79.6%) compared with Internet sites (n=43, 10.1%) and clinics (n=42, 9.8%). Most (80.1%) participants were women, with mean age 52.3 years. About 20.4% of participants were from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds, 23.0% were rural residents, and 23.7% were uninsured. Over 32 cancer types and all cancer stages were represented. Breast cancer was the most common diagnosis (n=129/427, 30.2%), followed by lung cancer (n=96/427, 23.8%). Internet recruitment generated a higher proportion of men (30.2% vs. 26.2% clinics vs. 17.4% social media, P=.005). Clinics generated a higher proportion of Hispanic participants (9.5% vs. 7.0% Internet vs. 2.6% social media, P=.04) and cancer patients aged 65 and older (28.6% vs. 11.5% social media vs. 4.7% Internet, P=.01). Social media recruited a higher proportion of participants with low income (<$20,000: 39.1% vs. 23.3% Internet vs. 19.0% clinics, P<.001), who tended to have later stage cancers (stage IV: 17.4% vs. 14.0% Internet vs. 7.1% clinics, P=.05). Cost per randomized participant ranged from $270 via social media to $454 via Internet sites to $2,240 via clinic-based recruitment. In conclusion, social media was the most efficient and cost-effective method for recruiting a quality sample of racially/ethnically, geographically, socioeconomically, and clinically diverse sample of cancer patients into a smoking cessation clinical trial. Social media has solid potential for recruiting cancer patients into behavioral clinical trials.
期刊介绍:
The American Journal of Cancer Research (AJCR) (ISSN 2156-6976), is an independent open access, online only journal to facilitate rapid dissemination of novel discoveries in basic science and treatment of cancer. It was founded by a group of scientists for cancer research and clinical academic oncologists from around the world, who are devoted to the promotion and advancement of our understanding of the cancer and its treatment. The scope of AJCR is intended to encompass that of multi-disciplinary researchers from any scientific discipline where the primary focus of the research is to increase and integrate knowledge about etiology and molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis with the ultimate aim of advancing the cure and prevention of this increasingly devastating disease. To achieve these aims AJCR will publish review articles, original articles and new techniques in cancer research and therapy. It will also publish hypothesis, case reports and letter to the editor. Unlike most other open access online journals, AJCR will keep most of the traditional features of paper print that we are all familiar with, such as continuous volume, issue numbers, as well as continuous page numbers to retain our comfortable familiarity towards an academic journal.