The annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology was held from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 in Washington, D.C., drawing more than 8,500 participants from around the world, including physicians, oncology nurses, radiation therapists, biologists, physicists, and other cancer researchers. The conference featured educational courses focusing on radiation, surgical, and medical oncology.
In a cross-sectional, descriptive study, Charlyn Gomez, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues identified significantly different psychosocial factors impacting Black cancer patients compared with their non-Black counterparts.
Noting the concerning underrepresentation of the Black population in clinical trials, the authors aimed to better understand the psychosocial factors impacting Black cancer patients when choosing to participate in clinical research. A questionnaire, adapted from two previously validated surveys, was administered to 97 of 138 eligible patients (between October 2023 and February 2024) who completed definitive radiation treatment with curative gastrointestinal, thoracic, gynecological, and head and neck malignancies. The investigators found spiritual and religious factors that influenced the decision-making process of Black cancer patients regarding whether or not to enroll in clinical trials. Meanwhile, there were no differences seen in trusting the cancer care team between Black and non-Black patients, which indicates that mistrust in clinical research is a separate entity requiring further investigation and efforts to meet patients where they are in their cancer journey.
“Since our study showed significantly different psychosocial factors impacting Black cancer patients, namely those tied to spirituality and community, it”s crucial that researchers become capable of having conversations with their patients of color on these matters,” Gomez said. “If the whole research team is competent in doing so, patients may feel more comfortable with the idea of clinical research and have the opportunity to voice concerns that they are not used to being asked about.”
In an open-label, randomized phase 3 international trial, Kristin Higgins, M.D., of City of Hope Atlanta in Newnan, Georgia, and colleagues found that the timing of immunotherapy administration among patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer plays a key role in its ability to extend survival.