If you build it, they will come: Success of the EROS (Engendering Reproductive Health Within Oncologic Survivorship)—ECOG-ACRIN E1Q11 in recruitment of minority patients.

Abstract

11124 Background: The average recruitment of minority subjects in oncology trials is 4%. The ECOG-ACRIN EROS trial was designed to be inclusive of minority subjects by inviting Minority/Underserved NCI Community Oncology Research Program (MU-NCORP) sites first, with remaining sites fulfilled by inviting NCORP sites. Our objective is to examine if the EROS study recruited more than 4% minority patients, and if MU-NCORP sites provided higher rates of minority recruitment than NCORP sites. Methods: The EROS trial is a clustered randomized trial performed at 17 NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) sites (including 8 NCORP sites and 9 Minority/Underserved NCORP sites) from 2016-2023. Eligible subjects included reproductively capable women aged 15-55 with new cancer diagnosis. Intervention included RH didactics and decision aids. With respect to self-reported minority status, patients were classified into one of two categories, White and non-Hispanic/Latino or minority (non-White or Hispanic/Latino). Chi-square tests were used to evaluate distribution difference between groups and binomial tests were used for testing proportions against reference points. Results: Of the 434 patients enrolled to the trial, MU-NCORP sites recruited 266/434 (61.3%) and NCORP sites 168/434 (38.7%) patients. Among all enrolled patients, 422 patients’ race/ethnicity status could be classified. 202/422 (47.9%) self-reported as Hispanic/Latino or non-White (p<.0001 0.48 against 0.04). In MU-NCORP (174/258) 67.4% and NCORP sites (28/164) 17.1% were of minority status. (p < .0001). Conclusions: The EROS trial was designed with minority inclusion for generalizability of results. Prioritization to include MU-NCORP sites in the EROS trial did result in substantially increased minority recruitment, with the overall minority recruitment rate above usual cancer trials. Such strategy may be followed to increase minority recruitment to oncology trials.