Abstract

6540 Background: Accessibility of cancer clinical trials has been cited as a barrier to participation. While there are several dimensions to accessibility, travel distance may represent an important measure with potential socio-demographic implications. We sought to identify the driving distance from each ZIP-code in the United States to the nearest clinical trial site for four common solid tumors, and correlate ZIP-code level demographics with travel distance. Methods: The ClinicalTrials.gov database was queried on September 12, 2012 to identify all open, actively recruiting phase II and phase III therapeutic interventional trials in first-line metastatic disease for the four most common solid tumor types in the United States (prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal). Driving distance from each ZIP-code in the continental United States to the nearest trial site for each tumor type was calculated. Trial sites located within the ZIP-code were set at a travel distance of 0 miles. ZIP-code level demographics, derived from the 2010 Census, were correlated with driving distance. Results: We identified 42 prostate cancer trials with 958 sites, 81 breast cancer trials with 1,345 sites, 83 lung cancer trials with 2,249 sites, and 32 colorectal cancer trials with 566 sites which met inclusion criteria. The travel distances for each tumor type are shown in the Table. Analyses correlating driving distance with ZIP-code level demographics are ongoing. Conclusions: Substantial heterogeneity exists regarding accessibility of cancer trials in the United States as measured by driving distance. The optimal geographic distribution of trials, the burden imposed by travel, and the degree to which travel distance contributes to poor cancer clinical trial enrollment all warrant further investigation. [Table: see text]

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