Improving decision making about clinical trial participation - a randomised controlled trial of a decision aid for women considering participation in the IBIS-II breast cancer prevention trial.

Background: Decision aids may improve informed consent in clinical trial recruitment, but have not been evaluated in this context. This study investigated whether decision aids (DAs) can reduce decisional difficulties among women considering participation in the International Breast Cancer Intervention Study-II (IBIS-II) trial.

Methods: The IBIS-II trial investigated breast cancer prevention with anastrazole in two cohorts: women with increased risk (Prevention), and women treated for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

Improving informed consent: pilot of a decision aid for women invited to participate in a breast cancer prevention trial (IBIS-II DCIS).

Background: Patients and clinicians report difficulties with the process of informed consent to clinical trials and audiotape audits show that critical information is often omitted or poorly presented. Decision aids (DAs) may assist in improving consent.

Aims: This study piloted a DA booklet for a high priority breast cancer prevention trial, IBIS-II DCIS, which compares the efficacy of an aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole) with tamoxifen in women who have had surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

The occurrence of cancer in a cohort of New South Wales coal miners.

To describe the incidence of cancer in coal miners in New South Wales (NSW) between 1973 and 1992, an inception cohort of all male coal industry employees who entered the industry between 1 January 1973 and 31 December 1992 was constructed from the medical examination records of the Joint Coal Board. This cohort was matched with the NSW State Cancer Registry to determine the occurrence and type of cancer. In the cohort of 23,630 men, 297 developed 301 primary cancers in the 20-year period of observation.

Mortality in the New South Wales coal industry, 1973-1992.

Objective: To study the mortality of coalminers in New South Wales (NSW) between 1973 and 1992.

Design And Participants: An inception cohort of all male coal industry employees who entered the industry between 1 January 1973 and 31 December 1992 was constructed from the records of Joint Coal Board medical examinations. This cohort was matched with the NSW Death Register to determine the number and causes of deaths in cohort members.