Few Physicians Refer Patients to Cancer Clinical Trials

Extract

A small proportion of adult cancer patients participate in clinical trials in part due to a low level of physician referrals, according to an online study published February 11 ^th in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Although more than 8,000 clinical trials are accepting participants, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), only an estimated 2%–4% of newly diagnosed cancer patients participate in them. Prior studies suggest that most eligible patients do not enroll in trials because their physicians do not refer them.

To understand what types of physicians are referring their patients to clinical cancer trials, Carrie N. Klabunde, Ph.D., of NCI, and colleagues, conducted a survey-based study of specialty physicians caring for colorectal and lung cancer patients. The researchers analyzed data from the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance Consortium (CanCORS) for 1533 oncologists, radiation oncologists, and surgeons caring for colorectal and lung cancer patients. The physicians had completed a survey during 2005–2006.