Responding to a significant recruitment challenge within three nationwide psychoeducational trials for cancer patients.

TitleResponding to a significant recruitment challenge within three nationwide psychoeducational trials for cancer patients.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2013
AuthorsStanton AL, Morra ME, Diefenbach MA, Miller SM, Perocchia RSlevin, Raich PC, Fleisher L, Wen K-Y, Tran ZVu, Mohamed NE, George R, Bright MAnne, Marcus AC
JournalJ Cancer Surviv
Volume7
Issue3
Pagination392-403
Date Published2013 Sep
ISSN1932-2267
KeywordsAdult, Breast Neoplasms, Clinical Trials as Topic, Cognitive Therapy, Female, Health Promotion, Humans, Information Services, Internet, Male, Patient Education as Topic, Patient Selection, Prostatic Neoplasms, Residence Characteristics, Television, Young Adult
Abstract

PURPOSE: When faced with a significant recruitment challenge for three nationwide psychoeducational trials targeting prostate and breast cancer patients, the Cancer Information Service Research Consortium initiated outreach efforts to increase accrual. Recruitment is reported by major outreach strategy to inform the use of similar campaigns, either as primary recruitment efforts or to supplement "in-reach" recruitment within oncology settings.

METHODS: During a 33-month period, recruitment was tracked from the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (CIS), the American Cancer Society (ACS), Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation's Love/Avon Army of Women (AOW), Internet advertising, press releases, radio/television interviews, recruitment materials in community venues, and outreach to churches and cancer support organizations.

RESULTS: Across projects, the majority (89 %) of recruited participants (N = 2,134) was obtained from the CIS (n = 901, 19 months of recruitment), AOW (n = 869, 18 months), and ACS (n = 123, 12 months). Other efforts showed minimal gain in recruitment.

CONCLUSIONS: Cancer information programs (e.g., CIS and ACS) and registries of individuals willing to participate in cancer-related research (e.g., AOW) can represent exceptional resources for outreach recruitment of cancer patients, especially when the eligibility criteria are highly restrictive. However, these resources do not yield samples representative of the larger population of adults diagnosed with cancer, and conclusions from such trials must be tempered accordingly.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Inadequate recruitment to randomized controlled trials limits the creation of useful interventions for cancer survivors. By enrolling in cancer registries and taking part in research, cancer survivors can contribute to the development of effective resources for the survivor population.

DOI10.1007/s11764-013-0282-x
Alternate JournalJ Cancer Surviv
PubMed ID23595235
PubMed Central IDPMC3737366
Grant List5P01CA057586 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
P01 CA057586 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
P30 CA046934 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States