More than half of hematologic cancer patients seen by a hematologist or oncologist say that their specialist did not inform them about the possibility of participating in a clinical trial. This finding comes from a survey commissioned by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Physicians were less likely to direct patients over age 75 to trials, with 74% of those respondents stating that their specialist did not discuss clinical trial participation. More than 60% of women, and nearly 50% of men, said they did not talk with their specialist about trial participation. About 25% of those not informed about trials said they would have wanted that information.
Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College and Bellevue-Hunter School of Nursing conducted the survey for LLS last fall. LLS’s goal was to determine how to improve access to, and quality of, health services for hematologic cancer patients from underserved segments such as older patients and women.
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