Posted by Michael Wonder on 12 Jul 2020
COVID-19 is forcing us to rethink clinical trials for cancer treatments
9 July 2020 - Participation rates were already low, but the pandemic threatens to drive them even lower.
In 2018, the American Cancer Society released an alarming report noting that 20% of clinical trials fail because of insufficient patient enrolment and that 56% of patients seeking care will not have a clinical trial in their immediate area and another 17% will not meet the eligibility requirements.
A year later, the Improving Patient Access to Cancer Clinical Trials (IMPACT) study noted that fewer than 5% of adult patients participate in clinical trials nationally.
Unfortunately, neither report led to significant change in the system.
