It may seem like clinical trials are suddenly top of mind here at GO2 for Lung Cancer, with new articles about inclusive research and demystifying them with a brand-new FAQ. But clinical trials and the diversity of the patients within them have always been a high priority.

Jargon-Free Materials and Trust

A project to develop specific materials for the Black community in Birmingham, AL has been spearheaded by GO2 for Lung Cancer’s Jennifer C. King, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, and Andrew Ciupek, Ph.D., Manager, Clinical Research in partnership with researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer. Members of the black community are under-represented in cancer clinical trials – making up only 6% of all clinical trials participants. This is a significant problem that can lead to a lack of understanding what the best treatments are for these patients.

To help combat this issue, the team settled on a two-pronged approach: development of easy-to-understand educational materials that were free of jargon and at an accessible reading level, and community outreach to distribute these educational materials to Black patients in Birmingham through community events (such as at local churches), and at the clinics where they receive their treatment.

The educational materials that the group developed include:

With the development efforts of these materials completed, the team at UAB now focuses on getting these materials into the community, as the project is slated to finish at the end of 2021. Although COVID-19 has stopped in-person gatherings, the UAB team is still able to connect with patients when they come in for treatment in clinics and community outreach centers. GO2 for Lung Cancer’s LungMATCH program, an initiative that helps answer patient questions about lung cancer and treatments, will help provide support to these patients as well. LungMATCH coordinators are on hand to speak with any potential clinical trial participants. Ultimately, this pilot project will help determine if educational materials that are targeted to certain populations help increase their participation in clinical trials.

Location-Specific Barriers and Facilitators to Participation

As this project winds down at the end of the year, the outcomes will be used for an even wider-ranging project, STRIDES. The STRIDES (Studying Trial Determinants of Success) project seeks a deeper understanding of the barriers and identifying strategies to improve accrual of Black patients diagnosed with lung cancer to clinical trials across three unique catchment areas in Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. This study is a collaboration between research teams at GO2 for Lung Cancer, the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University, the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama Birmingham, and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

Looking at multiple groups involved in the clinical trial process from clinicians all the way to patients, the researchers hope to identify both barriers and facilitators to research participation among Black lung cancer patients and how these might differ between the areas covered by the project partners. Based on those conclusions, the team will then pilot evidence-based interventions aimed at increasing research study recruitment of Black lung cancer patients in areas served by the partners’ institutions.

The study begins this year and runs into 2023, so expect to hear updates along the way from our Science and Research team here in our blogs and in the new quarterly publication, The Magnifying LeNS.