A new survey showed that Americans are reluctant when it comes to participating in clinical trials. It found that only four in 10 Americans have a positive opinion of them, and just one-third citizens would be likely to enroll in one.

According to a study by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in NYC, the findings of the survey are cause for concern, especially for cancer research. Almost all advances ever made in terms of cancer treatment were first evaluated in a clinical trial.

Previous research has also revealed that only 4 percent of cancer patients in the U.S. actually enroll in clinical trials annually.

“When it comes to advancing cancer care, clinical research is the rocket fuel for better treatments, more accurate diagnoses and, ultimately, cures,” explained Dr. Jose Baselga, head physician and chief medical officer at the cancer center.

If the low rates of enrollment keep up, cancer research and discovery will soon hit a crisis point because further education is the key to participation and progress. At the moment, Memorial Sloan Kettering is conducted around 900 cancer clinical trials.

The recent survey based its statistics on more than 1,500 adults aged 18 to 69 years old. The respondents were mainly worried about safety and potential side effects. Half of them were also concerned about out-of-pocket costs and insurance coverage.

Almost the same number of survey takers was reluctant to participate in clinical trials because of the inconvenience of trial locations, or because they thought they would be part of a control group receiving a placebo instead of an active treatment drug.

Furthermore, another one-third of those surveyed was skeptic about unproven treatments while a similar number said clinical trials makes them feel like a guinea pig.

But the number of respondents who have a positive impression of these trials rose significantly (from 40 to 60 percent) after they were given information about clinical trials.

“While concerns regarding clinical trials are understandable, it is critical that the cancer community address common myths and misunderstandings around issues like effectiveness, safety, and use of placebo,” said Dr. Paul Sabbatini, deputy physician-in-chief for clinical research at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

Sabbatini believes it’s critical that more people find out about the importance of clinical trials; they offer the medical community the best opportunity of finding new ways to prevent, treat and cure cancer.
Image Source: Eye For Pharma