Objective There is a paucity of data on determinants of clinical trial participation in the growing and diverse US Latino population. We describe correlates of awareness of and willingness to participate in clinical trials among Central and South American Latinos using safety net clinics. Methods We conducted an interviewer administered, Spanish language cross-sectional survey (n=944). Logistic regression was used to assess effects of health information sources and psychosocial variables on awareness of clinical trials and intention to participate in clinical trials. Results While only 48% knew what a clinical trial was, when explained, 65% indicated a willingness to participate in a trial. Providers were the most common source of general health information. Use of Internet for health information (OR = 2.33, 95% CI 1.63, 3.34, p = .001), trust in health information (OR = 1.33, 1.12, 1.58 for each one unit increase, p = .001) and higher education each independently increased the odds of clinical trial awareness, but obtaining information from providers did not. Contacting the Cancer Information Service (OR = 2.49, 95% CI 1.01, 6.14, p = .05) and psychosocial factors (e.g., greater worry, higher self-efficacy and trust in information) were each independently associated with intent to join a clinical trial but demographic factors were not. Conclusions Several information channels, including the Internet and telephone call centers appear to be effective in conveying information about clinical trials. While providers were cited as the most common source of health information, this source was not associated with clinical trial knowledge or intent to participate in trials suggesting a missed opportunity for communication to this immigrant Latino population.

A small proportion of brain tumors are attributed to a genetic predisposition; however, the hereditary proportion is undetermined. This study evaluates the degree of familial aggregation of cancer in a large series of brain tumor patients. Our study included 5,088 relatives of 639 probands (3,810 first‐ and 1,278 second‐degree), diagnosed with a glioma between June 1992 and June 1995 at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, with diagnosis under age 65 years, and residents of the United States or Canada. We conducted an in‐person or telephone interview with patients and/or their next‐of‐kin, and obtained family histories for the probands’ first‐degree (parents, siblings, offspring) and selected second‐degree relatives (aunts, uncles, grandparents) using a sequential sampling strategy. Reported cancers were documented by medical records and/or death certificates (if the relative was deceased and medical records were unavailable). We conducted segregation analysis using the Pedigree Analysis Program (PAP). The analyses were divided into two categories: (1) all 639 families, and (2) a subset of families whose gliomas stained positive on p53 immunohistochemistry analysis. We demonstrated that a multifactorial Mendelian model was favored, while a model postulating a purely environmental cause of brain cancer was rejected. This study indicates that familial cancer in relatives of glioma patients are probably a result of multigenic action, and familial clustering of cancer among relatives of glioma patients may involve unknown environmental exposures. Genet. Epidemiol. 20:258–270, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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The objective of this study was to identify predictors of self-reported family health history of breast cancer in an ethnically diverse population of women participating in a breast cancer screening program. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire about their demography, health, breast health and family health history of breast cancer. The association between family health history of breast cancer and categorical variables were analyzed using the T test, chi square, and multi-nominal logistic regression. Those who were least likely to report a family history of cancer were African Americans (p = 0.02), and immigrant women from South America (p < 0.001) and Africa (p = 0.04). However, 34.4 % reported having a second-degree maternal relative with breast cancer compared to 6.9 % who reported having a second degree paternal relative with breast cancer. Therefore, there is a need to increase efforts to educate families about the importance of collecting and sharing one's family health history.

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