An inter-organizational group of researchers and administrators from Case CCC recently published their work, "Impact of clinical trial design on recruitment of racial and ethnic minorities," in the Journal of Cancer Education. Case CCC affiliates include Population and Cancer Prevention Program members Debora Bruno, MD, University Hospitals (UH); Yilun Sun, PhD, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine (SOM); Shearwood McClelland, MD, UH; Cancer Imaging Program member Jennifer Dorth, MD, UH; Developmental Therapeutics member Smitha Krishnamurthi, MD, Cleveland Clinic; Case CCC Clinical Research Office Director Kevin Hoy, PhD; and staff member Bob Lanese, MS.
To develop effective and safe cancer therapies for a diverse population, it is essential for treatment trials to accrue robust differences in age, gender, race, and ethnicity among and between participants. However, studies show that racial and ethnic minorities, women, and older adult patients are least likely to enroll in oncology treatment trials compared to White patients, men, and younger populations.
Thus, in this study, the group questioned how oncology treatment trial design influences enrollment of racial and ethnic minorities. While extant literature on this topic is limited, the researchers suggest that rigorous identification of clinical trial design parameters associated favorably with minority accrual provides educational opportunities for individuals interested in designing more representative treatment trials. Read their method and what they observed by clicking the link below.