Individual abstract within a Delegate Designed Symposium Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

From Prevention to Personalised Care for All: ALLCLEAR’s Equity Workstream as a Model for Improving Rural, First Nations and CALD Participation in Precision Oncology Research (142891)

Fisaha Tesfay 1 , Abhijit Pal 1 , Natalie Taylor 2 , Tessa Holman 3 , Nicola Straiton 3 , Peter Croucher 4 , Rachel Dear 4 , Christine Chaffer 4 , Kate Saw 4 , Alessandra Bray 4 , Frances Boyle 5 , Sanjeev Kumar 4 , Kristy Robledo 4 , John Lock 4 , Mary-Anne Young 4
  1. South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Implementation to Impact, University of New South Wales, Sydney
  3. Nursing Research Institute, Australian Catholic University, Sydney
  4. ALLCLEAR, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
  5. Mater Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney

Introduction: Cancer does not affect all population groups equally. Its burden varies by socioeconomic status and individual circumstances, contributing to inequities in cancer outcomes and disparities in participation in research and clinical trials among priority populations. The AllClear study, funded by the National Breast Cancer Foundation with $25 million to understand and reduce breast cancer recurrence, is implementing strategies to advance equity and improve participation of priority populations in the AllClear clinical cohort and ACTIVA trial. This qualitative substudy will identify barriers and facilitators to participation in the AllClear clinical cohort among priority populations, including both those who consented to and declined participation to inform community engagement strategies and associated process mapping.

 Methods: This cross-sectional qualitative study will recruit adults (aged 18 years and over) with breast cancer who belong to identified priority populations, including people from multicultural communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and those living in rural and remote areas. A total of 28 participants will be purposively sampled, for in person or online in-depth interview. Data will be analysed using an inductive thematic framework approach to identify patterns of meaning in participants’ experiences.

Results: This is a work in progress, and the main findings will be presented at the time of presentation, focusing on the barriers and facilitators influencing decisions to consent to, or decline participation in, the AllClear clinical cohort study. The study will also provide insights into the consenting process and generate evidence to inform AllClear community engagement activities, with the aim of promoting equity and strengthening recruitment strategies among priority populations.

Conclusion: This study will help to articulate decision making for recruitment to AllClear among priority populations. We hope that this approach will become a model for future Australian cancer research where equity and diversity is embedded throughout the research program.