Comparability of the Australian national Cancer Symptom Trials (CST) group’s study populations to national referrals to non-CST specialist palliative care services participating in the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC)

Utilising the results of phase III studies in clinical practice depends on how representative study participants are of the clinical population to whom the results will be applied. The closer the characteristics between the sub-group who participate in a clinical trial and the whole population, the easier it is for clinicians to apply the results directly to the patient that he/she is treating. Trial participation is generally more happenstance than a systematic sampling of a population, and is limited by eligibility criteria that do not reflect the entire clinical population.

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