Clinical Trials

In a country where race often defines cancer outcomes, it seems intuitive that the United States would make an effort to include marginalized populations in oncology clinical trials. However, a recent study published in JAMA Oncology found a racial disparity among clinical trials for oncology drugs between 2008 and 2018.  Across 230 clinical trials with a total...

Among patients receiving targeted therapy for advanced melanoma, BRAF V600-mutant cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) measurements potentially could predict clinical outcome, according to a study published online Feb. 12 in The Lancet Oncology. Mahrukh M. Syeda, from NYU Langone Health in New York City, and colleagues examined whether baseline ctDNA levels and kinetics could predict survival outcomes among...

On Saturday The U.S. Food and Drug Administration  approved Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot coronavirus vaccine for emergency use after its advisory panel unanimously backed the vaccine a day earlier. Adding a third vaccine to the country’s arsenal will help boost the nation’s limited supply of the two authorized shots, from Pfizer and Moderna. The first...

The current problem of inadequate diversity in research participation among racial/ethnic minorities has led to health disparities. This underrepresentation arises from factors such as lack of awareness of clinical trials by patients and physicians, inadequate health insurance, and limited opportunities. The need for improvement has led the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health...

Although COVID-19 racial disparities have been widely noted, a further disparity relating to clinical trial inclusion has not been studied in as much detail. Racial disparities in clinical trials matter, chiefly because interactions with common racial or socioeconomic comorbidities may be difficult to predict without sufficient data. This study, published in Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications,...

Although disparities in cancer care have been studied in the past, an understanding of racial disparities in cancer clinical trials is still in its infancy. Many clinical trials studied display two main shortfalls: lack of reporting on race and ethnicity and a lack of representation of certain racial and ethnic groups, especially African American and...

MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2020 — Although minorities are paying a disproportionate price in the rate of COVID-19 illnesses and deaths, they are underrepresented in clinical trials, a new study finds. The researchers call upon the government, medical journals and funders of research to make sure trials include minorities so that the results can be extrapolated...

FRIDAY, July 10, 2020 — U.S. government-funded clinical trials for new cancer treatments have more Black participants than those run by drug companies, but Blacks are still underrepresented in cancer studies, researchers say. The SWOG Cancer Research Network team analyzed data from 358 clinical trials — 85 drug industry trials and 273 SWOG trials. They...

TUESDAY, Oct. 13, 2020 — More than half of patients offered participation in cancer clinical trials are willing to participate, according to a study published online Oct. 6 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute to coincide with the ASCO Quality Care Symposium, held virtually from Oct. 9 to 10. Joseph M. Unger, Ph.D., from...