Diversity in Early-Phase Cancer Trials Improved Since 2000

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- There have been some increases in diversity in early-phase cancer clinical trials since 2000, according to a study presented at the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 in Orlando, Florida.

Maria Farooq, M.B.B.S., from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues used the National Cancer Institute Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program-sponsored early phase oncology clinical trials database to evaluate trends in disparities in patient enrollment during the last 22 years (2000 to 2022; 14,877 patients).

The researchers found that the proportion of patients aged 40 to 64 years at enrollment decreased from 59.8 percent in 2000-2003 to 47.5 percent in 2020-2022, with simultaneous increases in ages 65 to 74 years (24.2 to 32.9 percent) and 75 to 84 years (5.9 to 12.3 percent). There was a decline seen in non-Hispanic White participants, from 83.7 percent in 2000-2003 to 72.9 percent in 2020-2022. There were increases noted in Hispanic/Latino population enrollment (4.2 to 6.9 percent), as well as among the Asian/Pacific Islander population (2.5 to 5.4 percent) and for non-Hispanic Black patients (6.3 to 7.1 percent). Trial enrollment by geographic region was steady in the Northeast (23.9 to 20.8 percent), increased in the South and West overall (29.1 to 40.9 percent and 7.9 to 18.2 percent, respectively), and decreased in the Midwest (24.4 to 19.4 percent). There was a decrease observed in participation among patients traveling >200 miles to enroll in clinical trials (16.1 to 8.3 percent).

"Over the period evaluated, NCI-sponsored early-phase cancer clinical trials became more representative of the broader patient population," Farooq said in a statement. "These results are encouraging, but there is still substantial room for improvement in this area."

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