Abstract 2245: Awareness and participation in cancer-related clinical trials among gastrointestinal cancer survivors

Abstract Despite significant advances in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, there is a persistent disparity in cancer outcomes between diverse racial/ethnic groups and medically underserved populations in the United States (US). The underrepresentation of non-white racial/ethnic groups in clinical trials (CTs) poses a critical challenge to cancer research and effective care delivery. The Hispanic/Latino population is one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the US and has a high rate of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. Although Hispanics/Latinos comprise 18.5% of the US population, they have participation rates of only 1% in CTs. We aimed to describe the awareness and participation of Hispanic/Latino GI cancer survivors in cancer-related CTs. We analyzed preliminary data from an ongoing cross-sectional study that examines the social determinants of health (SDOH) associated with participation in cancer-related CTs among GI cancer survivors. As of November 7, 2023, 57 individuals aged ≥ 21 years responded to a survey assessing their awareness and participation in CTs, and other SDOH domains. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the population, including frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. The participants’ mean age was 62.5 ± 12.3 years, and 56.1% were women. Most had more than a high school education (80.6%). Moreover, 59.7% of the participants had state-sponsored health insurance or Medicaid. Twenty-nine (50.9%) of the participants reported having heard about cancer-related CTs; however, only nine (31.0%) indicated that they knew how to participate in a cancer-related CT. Most of the participants had heard about cancer-related CTs from their doctor, nurse, or other health professionals (41.4%), their family/friends (20.7%), or social media/newspapers (20.7%). Furthermore, 13 (44.8%) had been invited to participate and 11 (84.6%) were eligible and participated in cancer-related CTs. Most of the participants who were eligible and participated in cancer-related CTs (90.9%) indicated that they participated because they knew CTs are important for the development of effective cancer treatments. Our preliminary findings show high levels of awareness among Hispanics/Latinos GI cancer survivors towards CTs; however, it is concerning that only a minority of those who were aware of CTs knew how to participate in them. More efforts are needed to assess the factors and SDOH that impact participation in cancer-related CTs among this population. Additionally, we will continue to recruit participants to assess the relationship between adverse SDOH and their willingness to participate in cancer-related CTs. Citation Format: Mariela Bournigal-Feliciano, Marievelisse Soto-Salgado, Hilmaris Centeno-Girona, Sofía Contreras-Fernández, Karina Torres-Mojica, Virginia Williams, Arnethea L. Sutton, Katherine Tossas, Robert Winn, Marcia Cruz-Correa. Awareness and participation in cancer-related clinical trials among gastrointestinal cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2245.