The Relationship between Depression, Anxiety, and Clinical Trial Perceptions Among Patients with Hematologic Cancer

Introduction. Despite the fact that thousands of cancer clinical trials (CCTs) are available today, engagement remains low, with only 2-7% of patients with cancer participating in CCTs. Research has shown that this may partially be due to fear-based perceptions around CCTs. Unfortunately, depression and anxiety, two psychological factors that are highly prevalent in the cancer space, are known to bias attention in ways that alter perceptions and are specifically known to amplify fear-based perceptions. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship between depression, anxiety, and perceptions of clinical trials among patients with hematologic cancer.