Patients are unwilling to enter randomised trials

BMJ 1994;309:126 (9 July)

Letters

Patients are unwilling to enter randomised trials

EDITOR,--The Medical Research Council is carrying out a trialcomparing chemotherapy and surgery versus surgery alone in oesophagealcarcinoma. Of the last six patients with oesophageal cancerwith whom I have discussed this trial, only one has agreed tobe randomised. The remaining five declined because they werenot willing to risk a possible delay of six to eight weeks totheir surgery should they have been randomised to the chemotherapyarm or because of disquiet over the possible side effects ofchemotherapy during a period of natural anxiety before theyunderwent major surgery.

These genuine anxieties may well account for some of the poorrates of accrual to trials of treatment of oesophageal cancer.¹

T C B Dehn

Consultant surgeon Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading RG1 5AN.

1 O'Reily S, Forastiere A. New approaches to treating oesophageal cancer. BMJ 1994;308:1249-50. (14 May.)

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