Physician Style Crucial in Enrolling Black Men in Clinical Trials

WASHINGTON-Despite the high rate of cancer among black men in the United States, their participation in clinical trials is low. The interaction between these patients and their physicians affects willingness to enroll in trials, Dawn L. Riddle, PhD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, reported at the 8th Biennial Symposium on Minorities, the Medically Underserved, and Cancer. She described pilot data indicating that when physicians go beyond simply imparting legal and medical information about the trial and make a strategic effort to answer the patient’s concerns, discover any barriers that impede his participation, and remove those barriers, black men are more likely to consent to participate.