Abstract 800: Participation in COVID-19 clinical trials, willingness to participate, and trust in sources of information among persons with and without cancer in Puerto Rico.
Authors: Rivera-Gastón Fabiola A. , Berríos-Ortiz Hérmilis , Ramos-Cartagena Jeslie M. , López-Cepero Andrea , Colón-López Vivian , Pérez Cynthia M. , Ortiz Ana P. 
Published: April 2023

Introduction: Cancer patients have a high risk of severe COVID-19 and complications from it. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the conduction of clinical trials (CTs), there is a scarcity of data on CT participation among cancer patients. We aimed to describe the level of participation in a COVID-19 CT, willingness to participate, as well as trust in sources of information for CTs among persons with and without a previous cancer diagnosis in Puerto Rico.

Methods:  Data collected from November 2021 to March 2022 from two cross-sectional studies were merged and used for analysis. Informed consent, telephone, face-to-face, and online interviews were conducted among participants ≥18 years old living in Puerto Rico (n=987). Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis (Fisher’s exact text and chi-squared test) was done to describe the outcomes of interest, overall and by cancer status.

Results: Mean age of participants was 41±15.5 years.  Most participants were women (71.3%), with an educational level greater than high school (89.5%) and with an annual family income below $20,000 (75.1%). Overall, 4.4% of participants (n=43) reported history of cancer diagnosis. Only 1.8% of the population reported to have participated in a COVID-19 CT to receive either a treatment or vaccine; stratifying by cancer, none of the cancer patients had participated in a COVID-19 CT, and only 1.9% of non-cancer patients participated. While 37.0% of the participants indicated being very willing to sign up for a CT assessing COVID-19 treatment, willingness was higher in cancer patients (55.8%) than among participants without cancer (36.1%).  Regarding trust in sources of information for CTs, the level of trust (“a great deal/a fair amount”) was higher for their physicians (87.6%), researchers (87.0%), the National Institute of Health (86.7%), their local clinics (82.9%), and a university hospital (82.7%), while it was lower for a pharmaceutical company (64.0%), and for friend, relative, or community leader (37.6%); no differences were observed by cancer status.

Conclusion: While participation in COVID-19 CTs was extremely low in the study population, the willingness to participate was higher among cancer patients.  Education on CTs and their availability are necessary to increase participation in this understudied group. Such efforts will enhance the representation of Hispanic and vulnerable populations, such as cancer patients, on COVID-19 CTs, and thus proper generalizability of study findings in the future.  

Acknowledgements: NIMHD-1OT2HL161827 and U54GM133807.

Citation Format: Fabiola A. Rivera-Gastón, Hérmilis Berríos-Ortiz, Jeslie M. Ramos-Cartagena, Andrea López-Cepero, Vivian Colón-López, Cynthia M. Pérez, Ana P. Ortiz. Participation in COVID-19 clinical trials, willingness to participate, and trust in sources of information among persons with and without cancer in Puerto Rico.   [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 800.