Elizabeth Allen of The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center posted a news release emphasizing the importance of clinical trial enrollment among the Hispanic population, which is currently an astoundingly low 3.9%. As a means of comparison, 68% of the residents in the South Texas region (where the CTRC serves as the National Cancer Institute’s designated cancer center) are Hispanic. Physicians from the CTRC have taken it upon themselves to promote the recruitment of Hispanic patients by publishing a “Call to Arms” in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
These physicians have made additional efforts in their own practice to cater to the Hispanic population including consent forms and study material in Spanish as well as bilingual counselors and team members available for patients in need. Dr. Ian M. Thompson explains, “We have a major responsibility to ensure adequate representation so that we can tell our patients how they can best be treated and how we can reduce the health disparities of this rapidly-growing population.” The hope is that other cancer researchers take this information into consideration and work to improve the participation and reporting of Hispanic candidates in clinical trials.
To read the full article on UT Health Science Center’s website, click here.