Community perspectives on cancer and cancer research: findings from listening sessions with diverse groups in Philadelphia.

Background: Listening sessions are useful for understanding community perspectives on cancer disparities. The Philadelphia Communities Conquering Cancer (PC3) coalition conducted listening sessions to identify community priorities for cancer prevention and control research among diverse communities in Philadelphia.

Methods: Guided by a Stakeholder Advisory Committee, PC3 partnered with community-based organizations to conduct 8 listening sessions with diverse communities (including Black, Hispanic, Asian, Russian, LGBTQ + , and veterans) to learn about perceptions of cancer, research priorities, and training and communication preferences. Sessions were facilitated by community members or PC3 members in the primary language of participants. Sessions were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded. NVivo analysis software was used to confirm main themes.

Results: There were 126 participants who ranged in age from 21 to 90. Participants were primarily female (78.6%), 60 + years of age (61%), and non-white (80%), with less than college education (75%). Participants' general views of cancer were negative and shrouded in helplessness and burden. Cancer research was viewed both positively and negatively. Hesitation to participate in research was related to negative experiences, language barriers, distrust, and lack of information. Participants preferred receiving information about research from sources that they considered to be reputable and in their preferred languages. Participants thought that community researcher trainings could be facilitated by incentives, transportation, and flexibility in scheduling.

Conclusions: Common themes and perspectives about cancer, research, and barriers to cancer care were shared across groups. Identifying and implementing community-derived strategies for overcoming barriers can increase cancer research participation among diverse populations and help reduce cancer disparities.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12982-025-00713-4.