Back toUpdated on October 25, 2024
Are patients of color accurately represented in cancer research? Surgical oncologist Ryland J. Gore, MD discusses some of the reasons why people of color are underrepresented in metastatic breast cancer research, and why it matters.
Transcript
Hi, Dr. Gore. When it comes to metastatic breast cancer research, are patients of color accurately represented.
[MUSIC PLAYING] That's a great question. The short answer is no.
People of color, specifically Black and Hispanic women, are not accurately represented in metastatic breast cancer
research. Let's dig into why and why it matters. As of now, there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer,
so it is crucial we conduct the right clinical trials to improve treatments available to patients. Clinical trials are so important for many different reasons.
They can help determine if a new treatment is safe or if some new medication might have side effects. They can also help find new ways to improve a patient's quality
of life, or they can help discover tools to prevent health issues. One study from 2016 found that patients participating
in metastatic breast cancer research may experience improved five-year survival. However, people of color are not accurately
represented in these studies even though in the United States women of color have higher rates of metastatic breast cancer than white women.
For example, in one clinical trial for metastatic breast cancer treatments conducted in 2019,
only 1% to 3% of participants were Black women. In another study, only 0% to 9% Hispanic or Latin Americans
participated in a trial which led to new breast cancer treatments in 2020. Why does this happen? First of all, not all clinical trials
include data related to race or ethnicity, which leads to general results that don't always apply to each population.
In other words, if people of color are not part of metastatic breast cancer research, we won't be able to know if treatments coming out
of these trials could lead to different effects. Diversity in the research population can lead to innovations that benefit all populations,
but we can start to address the disparity by making the clinical trial process easier and more accessible
for people of color [AUDIO LOGO]
