Quantifying Patients' Motivations For Phase I Oncology Trials And How Expectations Change At The First Clinical Consultation.

10061Background: In order to better inform our clinical practice in the Drug Development Unit, our aims were to capture patients’ motivations for phase I trials, quantify expectations of benefit, risks and commitment to clinical trials and the impact of the initial clinical consultation on these. Methods: A single centre, non-randomised prospective quantitative study of newly referred adult patients considering their first phase I trial. Participants completed questionnaires prior to being seen and an abbreviated follow-up version after the consultation. Results: Questionnaires were completed by 389 (98%) patients before and 302 (78%) after clinic. Patients ranked the most important motivation as hope for tumour shrinkage 84%, followed by perception of no alternative treatments 56%, following their doctor’s recommendation 44% and lastly that research may benefit others 38%. Patients had high therapeutic expectations with 43% predicting tumour shrinkage at the outset. Following the first consultation this ...