In October 2024, the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) Community Oncology Research Institute (ACORI) hosted the Community Oncology Inclusive Clinical Trial Design Summit in Arlington, VA. The summit brought together key stakeholders in cancer care to collaboratively address and devise solutions to reduce barriers in clinical trial participation.
Cancer clinical trials are necessary to advance new treatment options, improve patient outcomes, and develop more personalized approaches to care. Yet, despite their critical importance to oncology, access to clinical trials remains concentrated in certain regions of the United States. A recent study published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) sheds light on the significant geographic disparities in cancer treatment trial availability and the profound impact this has on patient participation, particularly for vulnerable populations.
In 2024, it is estimated that more than 66,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and more than 51,000 will die of the disease. Although pancreatic cancer accounts for only 3.3% of new cancer cases, it comprises 8.5% of all cancer deaths. The 5-year relative survival rate for this lethal disease—at 13%—is one of the worst across all cancer types. Moreover, the disease trajectory is often devastating, and it is not uncommon for patients to die within months of their diagnosis.
Significant strides have been made in lung cancer research over the past decade, but the progress has not been equally realized in all patients. Compared to White individuals in the US, Hispanic/Latino individuals were 16% less likely to be diagnosed early, 30% more likely not to receive any treatment, and 9% less likely to survive 5 years with lung cancer. Moreover, though Hispanic people make up approximately 19% of the US population and are the largest and youngest marginalized group in the US, Hispanic patients comprise only 1% of clinical trial participants. To address these disparities and improve lung cancer outcomes in Hispanic individuals, the American Lung Association (ALA) has expanded its Awareness, Trust, and Action campaign for the Hispanic population, with plans to raise awareness about clinical research and empower Hispanic patients to seek out and participate in clinical trials.
Promoting diversity in clinical trial participation is critical to advancing equitable health care outcomes in oncology. Recognizing this need, a research team at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL partnered with the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) on a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded U01 collaborative grant internal research program called Advancing Clinical Trials: Working through Outreach, Navigation and Digitally Enabled Referral and Recruitment Strategies (ACT WONDER2S) . The investigation seeks to identify useful interventions that will quantifiably increase the referral and enrollment of Black and Hispanic patients to NCI-funded therapeutic clinical trials.