Advocating for more inclusive clinical trials across Europe
Clinical trials can provide people with lung cancer with access to new treatments before they become widely available. But taking part is not equally possible for everyone.
Where someone lives, the cost of travelling to a specialist centre and the practicalities of taking part can all create barriers. This can be particularly difficult for people with rare molecular subtypes, whose nearest relevant clinical trial may be in another country.
Lung Cancer Europe has published a new policy briefing calling for changes to make clinical trials more accessible, diverse and inclusive across Europe.
Bringing clinical trials closer to people
One of the briefing's main recommendations is greater use of decentralised clinical trials.
These can bring some parts of a clinical trial closer to where people live through approaches such as telemedicine, electronic consent, home monitoring, delivery of study medicines and community-based testing and imaging. Some procedures would still need to take place at specialist centres.
Reducing the need to travel could make it easier for more people to participate and could also help people access trials across national borders.
Who gets represented in clinical trials?
Access is only part of the issue.
Older adults, ethnic minorities, people living in rural areas and people from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities can be underrepresented in research. Lung Cancer Europe is calling for clinical trial populations to better reflect the diversity of people affected by lung cancer.
Six recommendations for EU policymakers
Our new briefing calls on EU policymakers to:
support wider adoption of patient-centred decentralised clinical trials;
establish a dedicated framework for cross-border clinical trial participation and remote trial delivery;
improve financial support for travel, accommodation and caregiver assistance;
introduce stronger diversity and inclusion requirements;
use real-world data to identify underserved populations and monitor representation; and
invest in digital health infrastructure and digital literacy.
These changes could reduce some of the practical barriers to taking part in research and help ensure clinical trial evidence better reflects the people treatments will ultimately be used for.