INTERACT summary

Background

Cancer research studies check whether new treatments are safe and work as intended. People who take part in these studies should be similar to those affected by the cancer, from different ethnicities and backgrounds. This helps to make sure no-one is excluded and that the results of the research apply to all cancer patients.

What is INTERACT?

We want to find out whether any groups of people have been less likely to take part in cancer studies in the UK. Once we know if any groups of people are being excluded we can find ways to improve to ensure wider access to cancer research.

INTERACT aims to find out:

1. Have cancer studies been inclusive in the past?

We will review NHS data about people diagnosed with cancer in England in the past 15 years. We will compare peoples’ characteristics, including age, ethnicity and overall health, between those who joined research with those who didn’t. This will help us see if any people are less likely to be included than others. Anyone who is not happy for their data to be used for research will not be included and we will not have access to information that could identify people.

2. What is currently happening?

We will survey NHS hospitals to find out what they record about people’s characteristics and whether they take part in research. We will work with three NHS hospitals to understand who is being asked and who is choosing to take part in more detail. Only hospital staff will be able to look at individual patients’ data.

3. Building relationships

We want to build relationships with people from different backgrounds who can help us understand why some patients might not be joining research studies and what we can do to help.

We are currently seeking people from diverse backgrounds to advise on the research as it progresses.

INTERACT will take two years to complete.

Further information for healthcare professionals.