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Characterization of industry relationships in oncology.

Publication ,  Conference
Harrison, RA; Majd, NK; Johnson, MO; Urbauer, DL; Puduvalli, V; Khasraw, M
Published in: Cancer
September 15, 2023

BACKGROUND: Collaborative relationships between academic oncology and industry (pharmaceutical, biotechnology, "omic," and medical device companies) are essential for therapeutic development in oncology; however, limited research on engagement in and perceptions of these relationships has been done. METHODS: Survey questions were developed to evaluate relationships between academic oncology and industry. An electronic survey was delivered to 1000 randomly selected members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a professional organization for oncologists, eliciting respondents' views around oncology-industry collaborations. The responses were analyzed according to prespecified plans. RESULTS: There were 225 survey respondents. Most were from the United States (70.0%), worked at an academic institution (60.1%), worked in medical oncology (81.2%), and had an active relationship with industry (85.8%). One quarter (26.7%) of respondents reported difficulty establishing a relationship with industry collaborators, and most respondents (75%) did not report having had mentorship in developing these relationships. The majority (85.3%) of respondents considered these collaborations important to their careers. Respondents generally thought that scientific integrity was preserved (92%), and most respondents (95%) had little concern over the quality of the collaborative product. Many (60%) shared concerns over potential conflict of interest if an individual with a compensated relationship promoted an industry product for clinical care/research, yet most respondents (67%) stated these relationships did not shape their interactions with patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides novel data characterizing the nature of collaborative relationships between clinicians, researchers, and industry in oncology. Although respondents considered these collaborations an important part of clinical and academic oncology, formal education or mentorship around these relationships was rare. Conflicting findings around conflict of interest highlight the importance of more dedicated research in this area. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Business enterprises in health care play a central role in cancer research and care, driving the development of new medical testing, drugs, and devices. Effective working relationships among clinicians, researchers, and these industry partners can promote innovative research and enhance patient care. Study of these collaborations has been limited to date. Through distribution of a questionnaire to cancer clinicians and researchers, we found that most participants consider these relationships valuable, though they find establishing such relationships challenging partly because of gaps in educational programs in this area. Our findings also highlight the need for further policy around the potential bias these relationships can introduce.

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Published In

Cancer

DOI

EISSN

1097-0142

Publication Date

September 15, 2023

Volume

129

Issue

18

Start / End Page

2848 / 2855

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Oncology & Carcinogenesis
  • Oncologists
  • Neoplasms
  • Medical Oncology
  • Humans
  • Drug Industry
  • Conflict of Interest
  • Commerce
  • 4206 Public health
 

Citation

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Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Harrison, R. A., Majd, N. K., Johnson, M. O., Urbauer, D. L., Puduvalli, V., & Khasraw, M. (2023). Characterization of industry relationships in oncology. In Cancer (Vol. 129, pp. 2848–2855). United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.34852
Harrison, Rebecca A., Nazanin K. Majd, Margaret O. Johnson, Diana L. Urbauer, Vinay Puduvalli, and Mustafa Khasraw. “Characterization of industry relationships in oncology.” In Cancer, 129:2848–55, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.34852.
Harrison RA, Majd NK, Johnson MO, Urbauer DL, Puduvalli V, Khasraw M. Characterization of industry relationships in oncology. In: Cancer. 2023. p. 2848–55.
Harrison, Rebecca A., et al. “Characterization of industry relationships in oncology.Cancer, vol. 129, no. 18, 2023, pp. 2848–55. Pubmed, doi:10.1002/cncr.34852.
Harrison RA, Majd NK, Johnson MO, Urbauer DL, Puduvalli V, Khasraw M. Characterization of industry relationships in oncology. Cancer. 2023. p. 2848–2855.
Journal cover image

Published In

Cancer

DOI

EISSN

1097-0142

Publication Date

September 15, 2023

Volume

129

Issue

18

Start / End Page

2848 / 2855

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Oncology & Carcinogenesis
  • Oncologists
  • Neoplasms
  • Medical Oncology
  • Humans
  • Drug Industry
  • Conflict of Interest
  • Commerce
  • 4206 Public health