e24121 Background: Barriers for low recruitment in clinical trials have been classified based on three main sources: physician, patient, system. A primary role is played by a low patient awareness, which often leads to a lack of confidence in science and a substantial inability to estimate the benefits deriving from trial participation, aggravated by the spread of fake news. A prospective observational study was conducted to investigate the views of cancer patients on aspects of clinical research, their expectations, the level of comprehensibility of informed consent and the impact of the fake news phenomenon. Methods: From January 2018, after Ethics Committees approval, the ELPIS study was initiated in 9 Italian Medical Oncology Units. After signing the informed consent, patients were asked to complete a questionnaire, consisting of a set of multiple choice and Likert-score questions. Results: As of January 2021, 115 patients were enrolled, with a balanced sex distribution and a prevalence of subjects older than 55-years (79.8%). Regarding the previous knowledge about clinical research, the average score was 3.9 (range 1-5). The vast majority of respondents (91.3%) had already started experimental therapy and many of them constantly used internet (65.2%) and social networks (34.8%). More than half (53.9%) stated the interview with the physician was sufficient for a full understanding of informed consent. In case of doubt, the majority seeked support in the clinician (39.1%) while very few (1.7%) relied on the web. The average score attributed to doctor-patient relationship was equal to 8.89 (range 1-10). Respondents were quite confident in their ability to independently search for information on their disease, discriminate fake news and identify reliable sites (average score 3.26, 3.27, 3.09 respectively, over a range of 1-5). The scores related to the presumed ability to understand the results of a clinical study and to actively collaborate to produce research were high (average score 4.72 and 4.39 over a range of 1-5). Conclusions: Preliminary data from our research show a good level of patient awareness and a fine ability to understand information, discerning real from fake news. Continuing and implementing the training initiatives of the population in the health sector will certainly contribute to further improvement, hopefully obtaining an even greater involvement of patients in the early phases of research.
