Underrepresentation of racial minorities in clinical trials is a key factor contributing to cancer disparities, according to Fox Chase Cancer Center epidemiologist Camille Ragin. Despite overall improvements in cancer survival rates, raial minorities continue to bear a disproportionate burden of cancer, as reported by the American Association for Cancer Research.
Ragin, associate director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Fox Chase, emphasizes that clinical trials, which are crucial for developing effective cancer treatments, predominantly enroll white patients. This limits researchers’ understanding of how new therapies may affect diverse populations.
“One person’s cancer is not the same as another’s,” Ragin explains. She highlights the importance of recognizing the heterogeneity within racial groups, including differences between immigrants and multi-generational African Americans, which can influence cancer risk and treatment efficacy.
To address this issue, Ragin advocates for ensuring sufficient representation in study populations to produce generalizable findings. “Whatever answer we get from our scientific studies, we want that answer to be applied to everyone,” she states.
Ragin proposes diversifying the biomedical workforce as a key strategy to improve clinical trial diversity. She believes a diverse workforce can drive innovative approaches to conducting inclusive research that benefits all populations.
As awareness of the importance of diversity in clinical trials grows, institutions are being called upon to implement focused strategies to increase representation and ultimately reduce cancer disparities among racial minorities.
