Clinical Trials Need More Ethnic Balance

Extract

The message to achieve ethnically balanced clinical trials resonated urgently throughout the recent 6th Biennial Symposium on Minorities. the Medically Underserved, and Cancer

Otis Brawley. M.D., director of the National Cancer Institute's Office of Special Populations. told workshop participants that “minority indusion in clinical trials is desirable for scientific, ethical, and social reasons.”

Brawley said that 97% of all Americans with cancer are not included in clinical trials, but that “There arc social factors beyond the purview of the NCI thai hamper minority inclusion in clinical trials. “It is important that all Americans have equal access to NCI-sponsored research,” he added.

Best Option

“Clinical trials are seen as the best option for people wanting new therapy” said Paul Bunn, M.D., director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, Denver. Bunn added that there are barriers to joining clinical trials for minorities that are not ethnically based, including socioeconomics, logistics, and a misunderstanding of the scientific community.