Clinical Trials Need Cancer Patients
June 19, 2015
Publisher
The New York Times
Publication Date
June 19, 2015
Author
Overview
I HAVE a very rare and aggressive type of skin cancer — Merkel cell carcinoma — for which there is no approved cure, and I’m participating in a clinical trial to deal with it. If successful, the trial will show that the drug I’m being given at least manages what is now an often fatal disease.
Unfortunately, participation in clinical trials by cancer patients is, like my disease, extremely rare. Only roughly 3 percent of all cancer patients in the United States ever agree to join a trial. Among women and many minorities, the participation rates are even lower.
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