Background

PPI is the integration of patient and public perspectives into health research, ensuring those affected by research outcomes shape its direction and implementation. Cancer research (both clinical and pre-clinical) faces very specific issues with regard to PPI integration due, in part, to the diversity of lived experience.

What we did

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 5 people with lived experience of cancer, 5 cancer research professions, and 5 people with lived experience of cancer who were also cancer research professionals. Based on themes developed during these interviews, we then conducted 2 ‘brainstorming’ workshops. The outputs of the workshops were then subjected to thematic analysis.

What we discovered

Key themes emerged, including the importance of harmonious communication, the motivations driving PPI, the challenges and opportunities surrounding accessibility and diversity, and the power of a co-creative and human-centric approach.

The insights gained provided practical suggestions for refining PPI's role in cancer research.

Next steps

This work delved not only into the 'how' but also the 'why' of integrating PPI into the cancer research pathway, offering recommendations that we hope will contribute to ongoing discussions and practices. The next step is to engage with a wider PPI/ researcher community to prioritise the actions emerging from the thematic analysis.