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Patients Drive Authentic Trusted Solutions for Inclusive Clinical Trials

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Cancer clinical trials remain highly underrepresented from racial and ethnic minorities. The lack of diversity in clinical trials significantly impacts the generalizability of drug treatments approved for cancer patients. This review intends to discuss recent shifts in cancer clinical trials to increase equitable participation across all patient populations.

Recent Findings

Current trends highlight innovative ways to build accessible clinical trials with diverse patient populations in mind. Patient-driven technology in the form of digital health platforms was created to address the gap in financial and non-financial barriers to clinical trial participation.

Summary

Recent research sheds light on ways to make clinical trials more accessible to patients. This review will showcase how clinical trial site leaders, coordinators, and sponsors can meet the needs of patients to ensure they can participate in future clinical trials by engaging with community leaders and patient organizations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tigerlily Foundation, Stone Ridge, VA, USA

    Maimah Karmo, Katherine Cornish, Virginia Leach & Jeanne Regnante

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3120 Lincoln Hall, 702 S. Wright St, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Virginia Leach

  3. Patient3i, LLC, Branford, CT, USA

    Jeanne Regnante

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Contributions

V.L., K.C., and J.R. wrote the main manuscript text. V.L. organized the manuscript thematically and incorporated all annotated and non-annotated references. M.K. revised it critically for important intellectual content and to include the patient voice and perspective into the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Virginia Leach.

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Competing interests

Authors Leach and Regnante received research and writing support from the Tigerlily Foundation as consultants. Cornish is an employee of the Tigerlily Foundation. Karmo is the Founder and CEO of the Tigerlily Foundation.

Conflict of Interest

Authors Leach and Regnante received research and writing support from the Tigerlily Foundation as consultants. Cornish is an employee of the Tigerlily Foundation. Karmo is the Founder and CEO of the Tigerlily Foundation.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Karmo, M., Cornish, K., Leach, V. et al. Patients Drive Authentic Trusted Solutions for Inclusive Clinical Trials. Curr Breast Cancer Rep 16, 76–83 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-024-00526-5

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