“I Just Assumed This Was Already Being Done”: Canadian Patient Preferences for Enhanced Data Sharing for Precision Oncology

Abstract

PURPOSE In Canada, health data are siloed, slowing bioinnovation and evidence generation for personalized cancer care. Secured data-sharing platforms (SDSPs) can enable data analysis across silos through rapid concatenation across trial and real-world settings and timely researcher access. To motivate patient participation and trust in research, it is critical to ensure that SDSP design and oversight align with patients' values and address their concerns. We sought to qualitatively characterize patient preferences for the design of a pan-Canadian SDSP. METHODS Between January 2022 and July 2023, we conducted pan-Canadian virtual focus groups with individuals who had a personal history of cancer. Following each focus group, participants were invited to provide feedback on early-phase analysis results via a member-checking survey. Three trained qualitative researchers analyzed data using thematic analysis. RESULTS Twenty-eight individuals participated across five focus groups. Four focus groups were conducted in English and one in French. Thematic analysis generated two major and five minor themes. Analytic themes spanned personal and population implications of data sharing and willingness to manage perceived risks. Participants were supportive of increasing access to health data for precision oncology research, while voicing concerns about unintended data use, reidentification, and inequitable access to costly therapeutics. To mitigate perceived risks, participants highlighted the value of data access oversight and governance and informational transparency. CONCLUSION Strategies for secured data sharing should anticipate and mitigate the risks that patients perceive. Participants supported enhancing timely research capability while ensuring safeguards to protect patient autonomy and privacy. Our study informs the development of data-governance and data-sharing frameworks that integrate real-world and trial data, informed by evidence from direct patient input.