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Consent process in pediatric cancer trials too rushed for parents
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 15, 2010
Many parents who agreed to enroll their children in cancer treatment trials were dissatisfied with the informed consent process and felt hurried to decide, according to findings presented in October at the 42nd Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology.
A third of parents said they did not have enough time to learn about the trial's protocols, compared with 13% of adults who reported similar concerns about entering themselves in a cancer trial. The parents of pediatric cancer patients also said they felt less knowledgeable about the trials.
Feeling rushed is mostly due to the greater urgency in pediatric cases, said Steven Joffe, MD, MPH, senior author of the study. Children are more commonly entered after a new cancer diagnosis of a blood malignancy, such as leukemia. For adults, the diagnosis is usually older, and they have had more time to ponder the direction of their treatment.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/11/15/prbf1115.htm.
