Patients with multiple myeloma often do not participate in clinical trials, possibly because anxiety and depression have given them a distorted view of clinical trials, according to the results of a recent study.
American psychologist Neha G. Goyal points out that patients with multiple myeloma often experience anxiety and depression because of their disease. She explained that multiple myeloma is a treatable cancer, but it is considered incurable, and because of this uncertainty, it brings many different emotions.
“Even in those periods without treatment, there is this constant uncertainty or fear of relapse that can feel Anxiety. So these fears or thoughts come up even when you’re in therapy or when you stop it, and it really causes anxiety,” Goyal said. “We’ve seen this in other cancers, but I think multiple myeloma has a unique aspect that makes people more prone to feelings of anxiety and sadness.”
Perception of clinical trials
Psychological side effects such as depression and anxiety can affect patients’ daily life, so does it also affect their ability or desire to participate in clinical trials?
There are currently thousands of clinical trials with the primary goal of improving patient outcomes and quality of life. However, participation rates remain low, so it is important to understand the barriers patients may face in terms of perception and engagement.
Included in this study were 625 patients with blood cancers, primarily multiple myeloma (46.4%), who completed an online survey to assess their clinical Trials of cognition and measurement of anxiety and depression. The median age of patients was 60.1 years, 54.9% were female, and 86.7% were non-Hispanic white.
In this survey sample, 21% of patients had elevated levels of anxiety and 27% of patients had elevated levels of depression, which were higher than the average adult.
These findings reveal patient fears and perceptions. One of the obstacles, says the study’s lead author, is that many cancer patients are concerned about receiving placebo in clinical trials. However, most trials were not placebo-controlled. Instead, many new treatments are compared to standard treatments.
Interestingly, the study also showed higher levels of cognition in people with higher levels of anxiety and depression, but more research is needed to fully understand why these relationships were observed and what does it mean.
Goyal explains that feelings of anxiety can lead to worrying about these “what ifs” that haven’t yet come. For example, “What if the trial doesn’t work?” “What if I have unexpected side effects?”. “It’s a breeding ground for anxiety,” she said, and patients may prefer a more well-known path or treatment. Therefore, these negative perceptions can also influence a person’s willingness to participate in the trial.
Importance of Understanding
Key participants in the study all said that it is It is important to understand the factors and barriers to participating in a clinical trial. These trials enable advances and new treatments for myeloma and other cancers.
Therefore, it is important to understand what causes or barriers to patients’ reluctance to participate in clinical trials, and if these barriers can be addressed directly, more patients will participate in clinical trials.
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