Strategies to enhance the racial and ethnic diversity of breast cancer clinical drug trials

Scott, Ashleigh T. and Westwell, Andrew D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5166-9236 2024. Strategies to enhance the racial and ethnic diversity of breast cancer clinical drug trials. Academia Oncology 1 , 2. 10.20935/acadonco7480

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (516kB)

Abstract

(i) Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed cancer worldwide, with around 2.3 million estimated new cases in 2022. BC disproportionately affects ethnic minorities, with young Black women in particular experiencing poorer health outcomes, most notably from the aggressive and poor prognosis sub-type known as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). (ii) Despite these poorer health outcomes, BC clinical trials often show poor ethnic diversity. (iii) We used a rapid review approach to screen outputs from the Medline, Embase, and Scopus databases, based on key search terms and clear inclusion/exclusion criteria, to identify strategies to enhance the racial and ethnic diversity of breast cancer trial populations. (iv) Our review indicates that multiple strategies must be used simultaneously to respond to the challenge of racial and ethnic minority (REM) recruitment. The most impactful strategies include engaging with minority communities and making accommodations, for example, using staff trained in cultural competency and trusted community members to aid in the design and delivery of clinical trial recruitment models in the community. Eight key strategic themes arose and were used to create a new Racial and Minority Growth (RMG) model. The model brings together recommended strategies from the literature, highlighting actions to be first tested and then integrated alongside current initiatives to enhance clinical trial diversity. (v) Future studies should trial RMG-inspired strategies and collect quantitative data to assess effectiveness and sustainability. Drug regulators should continue to push for trial diversity and transparency, guided by the 2024 United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) draft mandate to increase underrepresented racial and ethnic populations in clinical trials. In turn, healthcare professionals have a duty to recognise and value diversity, and ensure fair treatment of all patients, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on ‘Good Health and Wellbeing’ and ‘Reduced Inequalities’.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Pharmacy
Publisher:	Academia.edu Journals
ISSN:	2998-7741
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	16 January 2025
Date of Acceptance:	19 December 2024
Last Modified:	05 Feb 2025 15:39
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/175314

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item