Abstract IA030: Ensuring diversity in clinical trials

Abstract

Abstract It is well known that minorities, particularly Blacks, are underrepresented in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment trials. However the mortality rates for Blacks are significantly higher than other race/ethnic groups. Research suggests that community involvement is integral to solving public health problems, including involvement in clinical trials-a gold standard. Significant racial/ethnic disparities exist in the accrual of participants for clinical trials. Location and cultural aspects of clinical trials influence recruitment and accrual to clinical trials. Being able to identify and resolve social determinants of health is essential for clinical trial participation. It is increasingly necessary to be aware of defining characteristics, such as location and culture of the populations from which research participants are enrolled. Utilizing embedded community academic sites to adapt clinical trial research in order to increase minority participation in nontherapeutic cancer clinical trials is warranted. Considerable attention has focused on the need to increase underserved racial and ethnic populations in clinical research, especially in light of the cancer health disparities that disproportionately plague these groups. Clinical trial design and implementation are time-consuming and require a multistep process that is complicated by other factors, including eligibility criteria for clinical trials for underserved racial and ethnic populations, recruitment processes, and patients’ misconceptions or lack of information about clinical trials. Georgetown-Lombardi National Capital Area Minority/Underserved NCORP (NCI Community Oncology Research Program) coupled with the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention will reveal strategies and approaches instrumental to our success. These efforts resulted in the development of a strong community capacity–building and clinical research cancer recruitment strategy, and improved engagement of the community in clinical research, thus ensuring diversity in clinical trials. Citation Format: Lucile Adams-Campbell. Ensuring diversity in clinical trials [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr IA030.