Advancing Patient-centered Approaches to Oncology Studies

Advancing Patient-centered Approaches to Oncology Studies: Exploring an Example

The number of investigational drugs targeting cancer has risen exponentially over the past two decades, however, recruiting and retaining patients for those clinical trials remains a challenge. The complexity of oncology studies and the increased focus on patient-centricity in drug development heightened interest in the use of decentralized approaches to cancer studies. The entrance of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated that interest due to the need to provide ongoing treatment to oncology patients.

In this paper, the authors discuss:

• The compelling benefits of a decentralized approach to oncology studies, particularly reducing the burden to patients to increase patient recruitment and retention
• Perceived and actual challenges associated with innovative study designs, including operational complexities, regulatory and ethics concerns, and uneasiness with unfamiliar pathways
• A case study outlining a need to conduct an investigational cancer treatment study while minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic, and how scientists implemented a patient-centered solution