Many racial and ethnic minority groups, including Muslims, are underrepresented in cancer clinical trials, even though cancer affects people from all backgrounds. In the UK, there hasn’t been much research into how Muslim faith and culture influence experiences with cancer, beliefs about health, and decisions about treatment—especially when it comes to joining clinical trials. Automatic, unintentional assumptions or stereotypes among healthcare professionals may also play a role. Understanding this is key to improving participation.

This study focuses on how Muslim women’s religion and cultural norms shape their views and experiences with breast cancer and clinical trials, as well as the perspectives of their families and healthcare providers. The goal is to create recruitment strategies and materials that are culturally and spiritually sensitive, improve understanding of cancer and clinical research, and provide better cultural awareness training for healthcare professionals.

If you would like to join this study or would like more information contact Lorraine.turner8@nhs.net