Regret in Clinical Trial Participation Among Cancer Patients.

This analysis examined regret from participation in cancer clinical trials (CCT) and explored associations between regret and symptom burden, symptom bother, therapeutic optimism, and the importance of spiritual beliefs. This is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from a study of American CCT patient-participants conducted from 2015 to 2019. Descriptive statistics, bivariate associations, and logistic regression were used to evaluate regret in this sample ( = 325). About 10% of the sample reported regret. Younger age, increased symptom burden, increased symptom bother, increased severe symptoms, and a lower level of therapeutic optimism were significantly associated with regret ( < 0.05) compared to those who did not experience regret. The final regression model identified that younger age, symptom burden, and therapeutic optimism significantly predicted regret ( < 0.05). Understanding regret among research participants may improve CCT retention and ensure ethical research practices. Symptom experiences may play a key role in experiences of regret in CCT participation.