Advancing Clinical Trial Equity through Integration of Telehealth and Decentralized Treatment
Menée aux Etats-Unis à partir de données portant sur 37 patients atteints d'un cancer rectal et inclus dans un essai de phase II évaluant une radiothérapie en combinaison avec une chimiothérapie, cette étude examine l'intérêt de la télémédecine et de la décentralisation des traitements dans l'accès aux essais cliniques
Innovative strategies to increase clinical trial accessibility and equity are needed. We conducted a retrospective review of a phase II investigator-initiated trial to determine whether the modification of clinical trial design to decentralize study treatment can improve trial accessibility among underrepresented groups. Sociodemographic characteristics including area deprivation indices as well as study site travel distance, time, and costs were compared between those enrolled participants who received chemotherapy locally and those who did not. Participants who received chemotherapy locally lived significantly farther from the study site (median 95.90 vs 25.20 miles, p = .004), faced a greater time burden traveling to the study site (median 115.00 vs 34.00 minutes, p = .002), and had higher travel-related costs for a single trip to the study site (median 62.81 vs 16.51 dollars, p = .004). This study highlights opportunities for alleviating financial and time toxicities associated with clinical trial participation, promoting equity in clinical research.
JNCI Cancer Spectrum , article en libre accès, 2023