Abstract C26: Associations Between race/ethnicity and enrollment in cancer research protocols

Background: There is evidence of racial and ethnic disparities in clinical trial participation in oncology, but the studies reporting disparities tend to be small and specific to certain cancers. We aimed to use the experience of a large cancer center to investigate diverse participation in oncology research.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of all adult patients seen at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) from 2005-2015. We examined if enrollment, defined as consent and registration to a research study, varied by race/ethnicity, a variable derived from the combination of self-reported values at MSK, gender, age, cancer type, and preferred language. Cancer type was determined by site and histology and designated as either common or rare, based on NCI criteria. Language preference was dichotomized to English and non-English. Descriptive and chi-square analyses examined bivariate associations between race/ethnicity and other characteristics, and research protocol enrollment. Due to large numbers of participants, associations were also assessed for clinical importance using standardized, chi-square residuals.

Results: A total of 233,599 patients were available for analysis. 93,276 (39.9%) were enrolled in a research protocol. The mean + SD age of the enrolled observations was 57.7+13.7 and for those not enrolled, was 58.9+14.6 (Mann-Whitney U Test, p<.0001). Clinically meaningful associations were seen for “other” race/ethnicity, English language preference, and common cancer diagnosis.

Conclusion: Patients who reported “other” race/ethnicity, whose preferred language was English, or who had common cancer diagnoses were more likely to be enrolled into a research protocol. Differences in enrollment on research protocols due to the additional race/ethnicity categories or gender were minimal. Further research is needed to understand the impact of these findings on diversity in oncology research protocols and to design interventions to reduce disparities in oncology trial enrollment.

Citation Format: Ogochukwu Marietta Ezeoke, Gary Brooks, Michael A. Postow, Shrujal Baxi, Lisa Diamond. Associations Between race/ethnicity and enrollment in cancer research protocols [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr C26.