ESTRO 2024 - Abstract Book

S5912

RTT - Service evaluation, quality assurance and risk management

ESTRO 2024

Results:

The patient database collated information relating to 18,111 individual patients treated with radiotherapy between 2017 and 2020. Within this time period, of those patients 599 were enrolled on clinical trials, whilst 17512 underwent SoC treatment (3.3% CT Vs 96.7% SoC). Likelihood of trial enrolment decreased with age until the age of 90; no patients > 90 were enrolled on a trial whilst 102 marked the oldest patient undergoing SoC treatment. Even with gender specific trials excluded, females are underrepresented in the research enrolled group (33% female) compared with the population undergoing SoC treatment (54% female). The proportion of patients receiving trial treatment at satellite centres (rather than on the main site) was significantly lower compared to the proportion who received SoC treatment at these locations (6 % CT Vs 36% SoC). The prevalence of disease burden in the SoC group did not reflect disease site prevalence in the trial enrolled group; pelvic disease sites being the most common for trial treatment (36%), but chest/thorax malignancy undergoing most treatment for the SoC cohort (44%) (Figure 1). The ethnicity domain for both cohorts demonstrated underrepresentation of patients not identifying as White British (3% CT Vs 6% SoC). Enrollment rates of Black participants specifically were 0.4% compared to 1.0% for SoC treatment (Figure 2).

Conclusion:

This analysis has reported on the demographic makeup of our institution’s radiotherapy clinical trial patients when compared to a standard treatment cohort over a 3-year period. In all reported domains, the clinical trial population is distorted to varying degrees with contrasts found in each metric between cohorts. Future research in the field must assess the practical implementation of interventions proposed to re-balance inequality, thereby promoting equal access to advanced treatments.

Keywords: Clinical Trials, Research Inclusivity

References:

Elekta MOSAIQ (2018) 'Radiation Oncology System'. Available at: https://www.elekta.com/dam/jcr:d79cff58-91ce 4d4c-b27d-472dc38da371/MOSAIQ-RO-brochure.pdf (Accessed 19.10.23)