NCT07110597

Communicating Multiple Uncertainties Associated With the Benefits and Risks of New Cancer Drugs

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 3,184 (actual)
• Sponsor: London School of Economics and Political Science · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This nationally representative randomized survey of US adults will evaluate the effect of using brief statements to communicate multiple different sources of uncertainties about the benefits and harms of new cancer drugs on participants' decisions.

Detailed description

Many newer cancer drugs are approved before uncertainties with their underlying clinical trial evidence have been adequately studied, in turn making it difficult to accurately determine the drug's benefits and harms. Prescription drug information rarely communicates these uncertainties. In a nationally representative sample of US adults, this study will evaluate the effect of using brief statements to communicate multiple different sources of uncertainties about the benefits and harms of new cancer drugs on participants' decisions. In the pre-intervention phase, participants will be given information about a hypothetical new drug approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Participants will be asked how likely they would be to take the drug, and how certain they are that the drug will work. Participants will then be randomized with equal allocation to 1 of 5 groups. The control group will receive information about a new cancer drug's benefits and harms; the intervention groups will also be given brief statements about sources of uncertainties with the drug's evidence (1, 2, 3, or 4 sources of uncertainties). The post-intervention questions will re-assess participants' decision making, perceptions of uncertainty, emotions, understanding, and trust.

Conditions

• Cancer

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Statement communicating 1 source of uncertainty	It is unknown whether patients with non-small cell lung cancer will notice an improvement with Zenova.
OTHER	Statements communicating 2 sources of uncertainties	It is unknown whether patients with non-small cell lung cancer will notice an improvement with Zenova. Zenova has not been studied in patients similar to Alex (patients with her race and ethnicity). It is unknown whether Zenova will work and what harms it will have for patients like her.
OTHER	Statements communicating 3 sources of uncertainties	It is unknown whether patients with non-small cell lung cancer will notice an improvement with Zenova. Zenova has not been studied in patients similar to Alex (patients with her race and ethnicity). It is unknown whether Zenova will work and what harms it will have for patients like her. Zenova has only been shown to shrink the size of tumors. It is unknown whether Zenova improves how patients feel or how long they live.
OTHER	Statements communicating 4 sources of uncertainties	It is unknown whether patients with non-small cell lung cancer will notice an improvement with Zenova. Zenova has not been studied in patients similar to Alex (patients with her race and ethnicity). It is unknown whether Zenova will work and what harms it will have for patients like her. Zenova has only been shown to shrink the size of tumors. It is unknown whether Zenova improves how patients feel or how long they live. Since patients given Zenova were followed for a short time, the longer-term benefits and harms of taking Zenova are unknown.
OTHER	Control group	No information about uncertainty

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-07-18
• Primary completion: 2025-07-26
• Completion: 2025-07-26
• First posted: 2025-08-07
• Last updated: 2025-09-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom