The Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network (ACORN), a national oncology clinical trial network, has announced that it is bridging the disparity gap in healthcare to underserved communities by enrolling more than double the national average of African Americans in cancer-related clinical trials.
The ACORN Network is devoted exclusively to oncology research in the community setting, providing centralized services, allowing clinicians to concentrate on treating patients. Created by community oncologists and privately funded, ACORN provides equal access to cancer treatment studies. In 2007, approximately 20% of ACORN's patients were African-American. In at least one clinic, that number soared to 32%.
"Community oncology clinics care for over 84% of the nation's cancer patients. These clinics have dramatically improved access to care including the underserved. ACORN was designed by community oncology for community oncology -- making clinical trials more accessible to all," according to Lee S. Schwartzberg, MD, President of ACORN.
African Americans make up 12.9% of the US population, according to the 2000 Census. However, recent National Cancer Institute (NCI) data show that African Americans represent only 7.46% of all clinical trial participants down from 7.9%.
As noted by the NCI, "The reasons for the decline are complex and numerous. Often physicians don't discuss the availability of trials with minority patients, and there is lack of information about the potential benefits of participating in clinical trials. In addition, there aren't enough trials in community settings where people affected by disparities often live. Another problem is the design of clinical trials themselves -- the eligibility criteria are very rigorous, are standardized, and may exclude patients with multiple health problems, many of whom are minorities."