Cancer clinical trials are a critical part of bringing new therapies to life. These studies are made possible by patients who agree to participate, allowing researchers to measure the effects of potentially new and better treatments that may extend a patient’s life and/or improve their quality of life.
An overwhelming number of clinical trials fail to meet recruitment goals, leading to delays, early trial termination, or an inability to draw conclusions at trial completion. Insufficient recruitment may also result in missed opportunities for cancer patients.
Recommendations from stakeholders including clinical trial sponsors and researchers previously surveyed on how to improve recruitment and enable clinical trials to meet their recruitment goals consistently indicated that patient groups were one of the most effective partners for increasing recruitment and retention of patients. Patient groups already active in clinical trial recruitment have demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach.
There is a unique opportunity to develop a Canadian model to promote awareness of cancer clinical trials through patient group partnerships to help foster the objectives of clinical trials in protocol development, patient recruitment, retention and the development of Real World Evidence (RWE) following trials.
These factors play well in encouraging new clinical trials in Canada and improving the quality of the input by patient groups to CADTH/pCODR, INESSS and perhaps ultimately in providing RWE to the newly formed committee CDIAC of the Canadian Association of Provincial Cancer Agencies.
Q-CROC is proud to take part in this project, led by the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada and the Coalition Priorité Cancer au Québec. This one day consensus meeting will help foster patient group partnerships who advocate for clinical trials in Canada and patient access to them.
The meeting, due to take place in Montreal on June 13th, is designed to generate discussion and capture the views of cancer patient groups and individuals who have been involved in clinical research. Meeting attendees will answer a series of consensus questions that will lead to the development of a comprehensive cancer patient group pathway model to accessing cancer clinical trials. Publication of the consensus questions and pathway model will follow.
The meeting will include representation from the following stakeholders:
Clinical Trial Sponsors (Industry, Government, Academia)
Researchers & Research Sites (Clinical Research Organizations, Principal Investigators, Clinical Trial Nurses, Cancer Centre Clinical Research Unit Directors and Executive Staff Members, Psychosocial Experts)
Cancer Patient Groups
Other Stakeholders as determined by the Scientific Advisory Committee
Anyone interested in increasing Cancer Clinical Trials Participation Rates in Quebec are urged to attend the Cancer Clinical Trials Pathway Consensus Meeting on June 13th in Montreal.
For additional information, please direct inquiries to the Director of Education:
Filomena Servidio-Italiano at filomenas@colorectal-cancer.ca or +1 (877) 502-6566 #232.