Trial reportBMJ open2021
Recruitment challenges to the I CARE study: a randomised trial on general practitioner-led colon cancer survivorship care.
Trial report in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- General practitioner-led vs surgeon-led colon cancer survivorship care: a randomized clinical trial.JNCI cancer spectrum · 2025Trial
- Cost-effectiveness of general practitioner- versus surgeon-led colon cancer survivorship care: an economic evaluation alongside a randomised controlled trial.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2024Trial
- Detection of colon cancer recurrences during follow-up care by general practitioners vs surgeons.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2023Trial
- General Practitioners' Experiences With Implementing Colon or Prostate Cancer Survivorship Care in Primary Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey Nested Within Two Randomized-Controlled Trials.JCO oncology practice · 2025Article
- Delivering colon cancer survivorship care in primary care; a qualitative study on the experiences of general practitioners.BMC primary care · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe I CARE study (Improving Care After colon canceR treatment in the Netherlands) aims to compare surgeon-led to general practitioner (GP)-led colon cancer survivorship care. Recruitment to the trial took longer than expected. In this descriptive study, recruitment is critically reviewed.
settingPatients were recruited from eight Dutch medical centres.
participantsPatients treated with curative intent for stages I-III colon cancer. Target patient sample size was calculated at 300.
interventionsPatients were randomised to surgeon-led (usual) versus GP-led care, with or without access to an eHealth application (Oncokompas). OUTCOME MEASURES: Baseline characteristics of (non-)participants, reasons for non-participation and strategies to improve recruitment were reviewed.
resultsOut of 1238 eligible patients, 353 patients were included. Of these, 50 patients dropped out shortly after randomisation and before start of the intervention, resulting in a participation rate of 25%. Participants were on average slightly younger (68.1 years vs 69.3 years) and more often male (67% vs 50%) in comparison to non-participants. A total of 806 patients declined participation for reasons most often relating to research (57%), including the wish to remain in specialist care (31%) and too much effort to participate (12%). Some patients mentioned health (9%) and confrontation with the disease (5%) as a reason. In 43 cases, GPs declined participation, often related to the study objective, need for financial compensation and time restraints. The generally low participation rate led to concerns about reaching the target sample size. Methods to overcome recruitment challenges included changes to the original recruitment procedure and the addition of new study centres.
conclusionsChallenges were faced in the recruitment to a randomised trial on GP-led colon cancer survivorship care. Research on the transition of care requires sufficient time, funding and support base among patients and healthcare professionals. These findings will help inform researchers and policy-makers on the development of future practices. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NTR4860.
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