Clinical trials networks, accrual strategies, and enrollment of historically underrepresented populations in medical oncology trials.

Abstract

e16549 Background: Oncology research is limited poor accrual into clinical trials. Clinical trials networks may help to improve this by allowing investigations to be available to patients seen in practices that are far from academic centers. Also, strategies may be implemented within each practice to further enhance accrual. This thereby increases patient access to investigational agents while potentially increasing the pace of progress in clinical oncology research. Methods: Our objective was to assess the clinical trial accrual rate in a community practice that is a member of a clinical trials network affiliated with a major academic cancer center and the effects of policies within the practice to increase patient accrual into trials. We retrospectively analyzed the records from 2002-2010 of this practice, which is located over 150 miles from an academic center. Accrued patients were divided into subgroups based upon ethnicity and age. Also, from 2007-2010, the percentage of patients accrued into trials relative to the total number treated onsite was calculated and compared to national averages. Accrual rate was also measured before and after specific strategies, which will be detailed within the poster, were instituted in 2007. Results: In this period, over 200 patients seen at this practice were accrued into clinical trials. Of these patients, 44% were elderly and 20% were Hispanic, both markedly higher than national averages. For 2007-2010, 10% of patients that received on site treatment were accrued into trials, also significantly higher than the national average. The strategies implemented helped to increase the accrual per year from 16 patients per year from 2002-2007 to 37 per year in 2008-2010. Conclusions: Clinical trial networks and specific strategies within community practices can for better accrual rates than the national average. They also greatly enhance the potential for both minority and elderly enrollment, two populations that have been historically underrepresented in clinical trials. Furthermore, this combination of infrastructure and concepts may help to accelerate the progress of medical oncology research towards better treatments for all patients.