Clinical Cancer Trials Suffer From Lack Of Participants

When it comes to bringing new cancer treatments, therapies and drugs to the market, clinical trials are an important and necessary preceding step. However, doctors and researchers have become increasingly frustrated over the inability to recruit enough patients to participate in such experimental therapies.

According to a 2007 survey conducted by CenterWatch, over 70 percent of all U.S. clinical trials are delayed between one to six months due to low enrollment. This is despite the fact that plenty of U.S. cancer sufferers are eligible to take part in such clinical trials. It is estimated that only 5 percent of eligible patients actually take part in experimental cancer treatments. Due to the low enrollment numbers, more than 700 cancer treatment trials are currently backlogged and waiting for completion.

Indeed, a good number of these delayed trials show extremely high promise. In 2008, a global study was launched to find out if the effects of a type of breast cancer could be prolonged through a certain combination of drugs. The study showed high promise and was deemed high priority. Unfortunately, a lack of U.S. participants put the American researchers behind by more than 9 months. Eventually, the researchers had to drop their initial goal of 3,500 U.S. patients and settle for just 350.

These low numbers significantly reduce the data drawn from such clinical trials. Low enrollment has been an issue for some time now, but with so many potential therapies now coming through the pipeline (2,800 drugs and therapies are currently in development) most agree it's time to figure out ways to improve enrollment.

So why are Americans so averse to participating in clinical trials? Many experts, including Dr. Raymond DuBois, president of the American Association for Cancer Research, "think there is a misperception by the majority of people that it will take away from their treatment and won't do them any good."

Early efforts to increase enrollment focus largely on improving convenience for participants. Perks such as providing transportation to and from the clinical trial are expected to improve rates incrementally. Doctors are also more frequently turning to computer programs and cancer databases that might help them more easily identify potential participants.

Future tactics intend to improve on these initial steps by placing more power in the hands of the patients. This involves making them aware of all the clinical trials they are eligible for through direct access to their medical records. Efforts are also being taken to ensure newly diagnosed patients are aware that clinical trials are an available treatment option.

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