Study Details Strategies to Address Barriers Keeping Older Adults Out of Clinical Trials

A study published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians determined that little has been done to improve older adult representation in clinical trials of new cancer drugs, even when the treatment focuses on a disease that disproportionately affects this demographic, reports EurekAlert . According to City of Hope's Mina Sedrak, two in five Americans with cancer are 70 or older, yet fewer than 25 percent of subjects in cancer clinical trials registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are in this age group. The investigators reviewed 8,691 studies that evaluated barriers to the participation of older adults in cancer trials. Twelve articles cited complex, interrelated problems as root causes, including rigorous eligibility criteria, clinician concern about toxicity, age discrimination, transportation, and caregiver burden. A single study implemented an intervention intended to boost enrollment of older adults in trials, which was unsuccessful. The researchers said trials must ask appropriate questions tailored or driven by the needs of older cancer patients, and should quantify relevant outcomes. "Ask your doctor about clinical trial opportunities when you're diagnosed with cancer and do your own research because there may be an option that you haven't heard about," Sedrak recommended. "It may benefit you, but perhaps your doctor may not have considered you for the investigational trial."