Participation in Cancer Clinical Trials

Abstract

Ten years have passed since Congress responded to concerns about unequal access to clinical trials and enacted the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act, which encouraged representation of women and minority patients in NIH-sponsored research.¹ Ensuring broad access to research studies has subsequently been an important aim of national research policy. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has addressed concerns about enhancing heterogeneity of trial populations through multiple mechanisms, including the creation of Minority Community Clinical Oncology Programs, the development of focused initiatives in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and academic medical centers, and emphasis on trials that focus specifically on the elderly.^2,3 Moreover, while the NCI budget has grown from approximately $2 billion in 1993 to approximately $4 billion in 2002,⁴ and the number of trial participants has increased, it is not clear if minorities, women, and the elderly have shared in this growth.⁵