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. 2018 Sep;23(9):1076-1078.
doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2017-0592. Epub 2018 Apr 26.

Representation of Minorities and Elderly Patients in Multiple Myeloma Clinical Trials

Narjust Duma  1 , Tariq Azam  2 , Irbaz Bin Riaz  3 , Miguel Gonzalez-Velez  4 , Sikander Ailawadhi  5 , Ronald Go  3
Affiliations

Representation of Minorities and Elderly Patients in Multiple Myeloma Clinical Trials

Narjust Duma et al. Oncologist. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) occurs in all races, but the incidence in non-Hispanic black patients (NHBs) is two to three times higher than in non-Hispanic white patients (NHWs). We determined the representation of minorities and elderly patients in MM clinical trials. Enrollment data from all therapeutic trials reported in ClinicalTrials.gov from 2000 to 2016 were analyzed. Enrollment fraction (EF) was defined as the number of trial enrollees divided by the 2014 MM prevalence. Participation in MM clinical trials varied significantly across racial and ethnic groups; NHWs were more likely to be enrolled in clinical trials (EF 0.18%) than NHBs (EF 0.06%, p < .0001) and Hispanic patients (EF 0.04%, p < .0001). The median age of trial participants was 62 years, with 7,956 participants (66%) being less than 65 years of age. Collaborations between investigators, sponsors, and the community are necessary to increase access to clinical trials to our minority and elderly patients.

Keywords: Clinical trials; Elderly; Hematologic malignancies; Minorities; Multiple myeloma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures of potential conflicts of interest may be found at the end of this article.

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