Clinical trials are vital to offering and developing the most effective treatment options. However, there are large disparities in enrollment across race, ethnicity, geography, and type of cancer care center. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Baton Rouge, LA uses local partnerships, culturally tailored outreach, and workforce innovation to drive sustainable and equitable participation in clinical trials. Minorities now make up 21% of their clinical trial participation, surpassing the national average. Following these meaningful gains in attracting local minority populations and underserved communities to take part in clinical trials, the Mary Bird Perkins research team received a grant to further support this work. In this episode of CANCER BUZZ, Victor Lin, MD, PhD, research medical director at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, shares strategies for success in their community, including awareness campaigns and partnerships. CANCER BUZZ also speaks with TaeJeanne "TJ" Taylor-Lawrence, RN, registered nurse and patient navigator, about building relationships and supporting patients in clinical trials.

"We really, really have to be thinking, from a trial design standpoint, about the barriers that we're throwing up in the name of trying to keep the science and the data clean." - Victor Lin, MD, PhD

"There's been this long-standing perception that cancer clinical trials are really the domain of only academic cancer centers. But I think increasingly we're finding that ... community cancer centers can be more nimble and are perfectly capable of running the same trials and seeing these patients where they live." - Victor Lin, MD, PhD

"I think that representation builds trust. If people don't see themselves in this process, whether it's in the data, whether it's in the staff, or any of the outreach programs that we have, they're just less likely to believe that this is for them. In my community, black and brown communities especially, I think there's a deep need to feel seen, respected, and understood. When a patient sees someone that looks like them or shares their background talking about clinical trials, I think that that shifts the energy." - TaeJeanne "TJ" Taylor-Lawrence, RN

"If the research does not reflect all of us, the solutions won't either." - TaeJeanne "TJ" Taylor-Lawrence, RN

Victor Lin, MD, PhD

Research Medical Director

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center

Baton Rouge, LA

TaeJeanne "TJ" Taylor-Lawrence, RN

Registered Nurse

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center

Baton Rouge, LA

Resources:

ACCC Community Oncology Research Institute (ACORI)

Bringing Cancer Research to the Community: Strategic Approaches to Representative Oncology Clinical Trial Design

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Receives $400,000 Grant to Continue Expansion of Nationally-Recognized Clinical Trials Program