Patient enrollment in cancer treatment trials is 7.1 percent, higher than historical estimates, according to a study published online April 2 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Joseph M. Unger, Ph.D., from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, and colleagues provided contemporary estimates of clinical trial participation among adults with cancer.
The analysis included a national sample of accreditation information submitted by the 1,200 Commission on Cancer programs, which represent ≥70 percent of all U.S. cancer cases.
The researchers found that the overall estimated patient participation rate in cancer treatment trials was 7.1 percent. Participation was also seen in a wide variety of other studies, including biorepository (12.9 percent), registry (7.3 percent), genetic (3.6 percent), quality-of-life (2.8 percent), diagnostic (2.5 percent), and economic (2.4 percent) studies.
For treatment trials, enrollment occurred in National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers (21.6 percent), academic (non–National Cancer Institute-designated) comprehensive cancer programs (5.4 percent), integrated network cancer programs (5.7 percent), and community programs (4.1 percent). Just over one in five patients participated in one or more cancer clinical research studies (21.9 percent).
“Contributions of adult patients with cancer to clinical research is more common than previously understood,” the authors write.
What are cancer treatment trials?
As BDO has previously reported, cancer treatment trials (also called clinical trials or clinical research trials ) are cancer research studies with human volunteers to answer specific health questions. Cancer treatment trials are usually the fastest and safest way to find treatments that work for cancer and to improve the quality of life in people with cancer.
Interventional trials determine whether experimental treatments or new ways of using known therapies are safe and effective
