Stepping Stones to Sustainability Within Cancer Clinical Trials in Ireland
Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Survey Design
2.3. Participants and Recruitment
2.4. Data Collection Process
2.5. Ethical Considerations
2.6. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Demographics
3.2. Awareness and Knowledge of Carbon Footprint Tools
3.3. Perceived Contributors to Trial Emissions
3.4. Training, Confidence, and Willingness to Implement Sustainable Practices
3.5. Perceptions of Innovative Measures to Reduce Carbon Footprint
3.6. Barriers and Incentives to Sustainable Practice in Cancer Clinical Trials
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Question Number | Question Asked |
---|---|
1. | What is your main specialty or role within CTI? |
2. | What is your current role in cancer research? |
3. | Have you ever held the role of National Lead or Chief Investigator? |
4. | In which province do you currently work? |
5. | What is your current affiliation as a CTI stakeholder? |
6. | Are you aware of any approaches or tools for calculating the carbon footprint of clinical trials (e.g., SCTG guidelines, NIHR calculator, My Green Lab certification)? |
7. | To what extent do you believe that industry-sponsored trials consider carbon footprint during design? |
8. | To what extent do you believe that academic trials consider carbon footprint during design? |
9. | Please rank the following trial-related activities based on their perceived impact on a trial’s carbon footprint. |
10. | Have you received any formal education or training on reducing the carbon footprint of clinical trials? |
11. | How confident do you feel in your ability to advise on or implement sustainability measures in clinical trials? |
12. | Would you be willing to participate in sustainability initiatives within clinical trials? |
13. | Which of the following innovative measures do you think would have the greatest impact on reducing carbon emissions in trials? |
14. | Do you have any additional practical suggestions for reducing a trial’s carbon footprint? |
15. | Have you observed or been involved in any changes that have reduced the carbon footprint of a clinical trial? |
16. | What do you think are the three main barriers to adopting sustainability measures in cancer clinical trials? |
17. | Have you personally encountered any of the barriers you identified above? Please describe. |
18. | What would have helped to overcome those barriers? |
19. | What do you believe are the three best incentives for encouraging sustainability in clinical trials? |
20. | Do you have any suggestions for accelerating the introduction of sustainable practices in cancer clinical trials? |
21. | Do you have any suggestions for promoting or informing change regarding sustainability in cancer research? |
Specialty/Role | Number Currently Working in the Cancer Clinical Trials Community | Number Who Participated in the Survey | Representation |
---|---|---|---|
Consultant Medical Oncologist | 83 | 31 | 37% |
Consultant Radiation Oncologist | 51 | 14 | 27% |
Consultant Surgeon | 53 | 4 | 8% |
Admin | figures not up to date | 13 | n/a |
Data Manager/Bio Statistician | 39 | 11 | 28% |
Hematologist | 54 | 9 | 17% |
Translational Scientist | 19 | 9 | 47% |
Research Specialist | 199 | 8 | 4% |
Patient Consultant Committee member | 13 | 4 | 31% |
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Clayton-Lea, A.; Flynn, C.R.; Hopkins, C.; O’Reilly, S. Stepping Stones to Sustainability Within Cancer Clinical Trials in Ireland. Curr. Oncol. 2025, 32, 446. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol32080446
Clayton-Lea A, Flynn CR, Hopkins C, O’Reilly S. Stepping Stones to Sustainability Within Cancer Clinical Trials in Ireland. Current Oncology. 2025; 32(8):446. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol32080446
Chicago/Turabian StyleClayton-Lea, Angela, Calvin R. Flynn, Claire Hopkins, and Seamus O’Reilly. 2025. "Stepping Stones to Sustainability Within Cancer Clinical Trials in Ireland" Current Oncology 32, no. 8: 446. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol32080446
APA StyleClayton-Lea, A., Flynn, C. R., Hopkins, C., & O’Reilly, S. (2025). Stepping Stones to Sustainability Within Cancer Clinical Trials in Ireland. Current Oncology, 32(8), 446. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol32080446