Educating a diverse group of women in Los Angeles County on ovarian and uterine cancers and clinical trials.
Authors: Ozlem Equils, Amonda Bakaj, Angela Bakaj, Irma Rivas, Marisa Munoz, Kalkidan Amare, Andrea Robertson, Aileen Valenzuela, Stephanie Ortiz, Kenia Membreno, Yvonne Villalobos, Andrea Mata, Ricardo Ortiz Baca
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2024)

e23105 Background: Ovarian and uterine cancers are among the deadliest cancers for women and due to vague symptoms, diagnosis is often delayed. In addition, there are ethnic disparities in time to diagnosis, treatment, and outcome for these cancers. The purpose of this study was to assess a diverse group of Los Angeles (LA) County women’s understanding of both ovarian and uterine cancers and assess the impact of intervention by community health organizations. Methods: A Qualtrics survey was administered online and in-person to 185 women aged 18 and older in LA County between May 3rd and July 15th 2023. The survey aimed to investigate participants’ knowledge, awareness, and attitudes on women’s cancers’ risk factors, symptoms, screening, treatment options, and clinical trials. Information on participant demographics was also collected. Chi-square analysis, descriptive statistics, filtering and sub-setting, correlation analysis were utilized using R-Studio. MiOra Health Educators provided face-to-face education on ovarian and uterine cancers as well as clinical trials to this sample of participants. Results: Out of 185 respondents, 117 (63.2%) were Hispanic or Latina and 65 (35.1%) reported completing 4 year of college education. 137 (74.0%) reported attending their annual women’s wellness visit. Women with insurance (143, 77.0%) were more likely to report having women’s cancer screening compared to those who were uninsured (71, 38.0%). 93 women (50.3%) reported going to their primary physicians for advice on sexual and/or genital organ health rather than visiting a gynecologist; however older women (aged 41-50) reported seeing their gynecologist more often than the women in younger groups. Moreover, 127 women (68.6%) were aware of clinical trials (the majority being college-educated) however, a majority of the total participants (154, 83.2%) did not know where to locate clinical trials or that one may leave a clinical trial at any time (123, 66.5 %). Prior to educational intervention, only 104 women (56.2%) reported being “somewhat knowledgeable” about women’s cancers’ risk factors and symptoms. Following educational intervention, 143 (77.7%) reported feeling more knowledgeable about women’s cancers’ risk factors and symptoms and 122 (66.6%) reported feeling more knowledgeable about clinical trials and comfortable participating in one. Conclusions: In this pilot study we found that a majority of diverse LA County women attend their annual wellness visits; however, only a small portion receive women’s cancer screening. Lack of insurance appears to be a significant barrier for access to screening tests. In addition to awareness of clinical trials, the ability to locate a clinical trial appears to influence participation in one. Although primary care providers and obstetricians are the most trusted health resources, community health educators may be effective in educating women to close these gaps.