Community-based Advocacy Increases Recruitment for Clinical Trials

The Education Network to Advance Cancer Clinical Trials (ENACCT), an organization devoted to identifying, implementing and evaluating innovative community-centered approaches to cancer clinical trials education, has published an article in the Journal of Cancer Education entitled, “The Promise of Community-Based Advocacy and Education Efforts for Increasing Cancer Clinical Trials Accrual.” The article, authored by Margo Michaels and Elisa Weiss from ENACCT and various co-authors, indicates that only 3% of cancer patients take part in clinical trials, but that community-based advocacy and education programs, of which they highlight three such programs, can enhance clinical trial access and increase participation in clinical trials. They conclude that oncologists’ involvement in and leadership of these partnerships are critical to recruitment, particularly for minority groups.


Link to abstract:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/810t43j753085956/


Michaels, Margo, Weiss, Elisa, Guidry, John, Blakeney, Natasha, Swords, Liz, Gibbs, Brian, Yeun, Samantha, Rytkonen, Bruce, Goodman, Robert, Jarama, S., Greene, Amanda, and Shilpa Patel. “The Promise of Community-Based Advocacy and Education Efforts for Increasing Cancer Clinical Trials Accrual.” Journal of Cancer Education 0885-8195 (2011): 1-8.