Making Decisions About Participating in a Cancer Clinical Trial for Patients With Stage II, Stage III, or Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer or Stage III or Stage IV Colon Cancer or Rectal Cancer

Research Participation: Decision Making and Outcomes in Cancer Clinical Trials

RATIONALE: Determining how patients makes decisions about participating in a clinical trial may help doctors plan clinical trials in which more patients are willing to participate and are satisfied with their decision to participate.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how patients with stage II, stage III, or stage IV pancreatic cancer or stage III or stage IV colon cancer or rectal cancer make decisions about participating in a clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the relationship between disease factors, patient factors, and understanding of the cancer clinical trial, and preferences for decision control in the decision to participate in a cancer clinical trial by patients with stage II-IV pancreatic cancer or stage III-IV colon or rectal cancer.
• Determine the relationship between disease factors, patient factors, understanding of the cancer clinical trial, and preferences for decision control with satisfaction with the decision to participate in a cancer clinical trial.
• Determine how quality of life, trust, and hope impact the decision to participate in a cancer clinical trial and the satisfaction with this decision.

OUTLINE: This is a cross-sectional study.

Patients complete 12 questionnaires to assess their symptom burden (e.g., nausea, pain, fatigue), sociodemographics, hope, quality of life, trust in the healthcare system, trust in health professionals, research decision control, perceived risks, adequacy of research information, clinical trial participation, and decision satisfaction.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 200 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of 1 of the following:

  • Stage II-IV pancreatic cancer
  • Stage III-IV colon cancer
  • Stage III-IV rectal cancer

• Offered the opportunity to participate in a phase I-III cancer clinical trial and agreed or declined to participate

• First appointment at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at John Hopkins

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Able to read English

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Not specified