Abstract B101: Barriers to racial/ethnic diversity of clinical trials - the patient perspective

Abstract Background: Racial and ethnic diversity in oncology clinical trials remains an unsolved issue. This study aims to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and preferences of Black and Hispanic breast cancer survivors regarding clinical trials. Patients and Methods: Cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of Black and Hispanic breast cancer survivors from a single, comprehensive cancer center. Measures included sociodemographic information (age, race, education), clinical information such as stage of breast cancer, and the following validated survey measures: the Cultural Competence and Staff Diversity Scale, the Experiences of Discrimination Scale, and the Perceived Discrimination scale. Outcomes were knowledge of and willingness to participate in clinical trials, attitudes toward clinical trials, barriers to trial participation, and preferences for learning about clinical trials. Results: Mean age of the 52 respondents was 51 years (range 30-68 years), 87% attended college, and 75% had non-metastatic breast cancer. Most respondents had prior knowledge of clinical trials (82%). Side effects were the most frequently reported concern about clinical trial participation (82%). Other reported barriers included general inconvenience (59%), travel time (55%), time off work (45%), and caregiver burden (33%). Only 16% reported lack of trust in research as a concern. Almost all respondents (98%) reported desire to help improve overall health outcomes as a facilitator to clinical trial participation and 82% would consider a clinical trial if a physician recommended one. Peer support was another facilitator to clinical trial participation with a preference for patient peers who “look like me” (71%) or “speak the same language” (67%). Most participants reported a preference for discussing clinical trials with a medical oncologist (82%) after the initial consultation (80%). Conclusions: Knowledge of clinical trials was high in this sample of Black and Hispanic breast cancer survivors. Barriers to trial participation include time toxicity and concern about side effects, while altruism and physician recommendations for clinical trials were strong facilitators for trial participation. Importantly, physician recommendation and culturally aligned peer support were identified as strong facilitators for trial participation. Our findings highlight the importance of multi-level interventions to address the multiple domains impacting diverse clinical trial enrollment. Citation Format: Kimberley Lee, Yara Abdou, Omar Garcia-Rodriguez, Hatem Soliman. Barriers to racial/ethnic diversity of clinical trials - the patient perspective abstract. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B101.