Clinical trials: connecting MBC patients to new treatment opportunities
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Health policy fact sheet (Online)
- Author(s):
- Scheitler, A.J., author Babey, Susan H., author Shimkhada, R., author Glenn, Beth, author Ponce, Ninez A., author
- Contributor(s):
- UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Los Angeles, CA : UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, April 2021
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Breast Neoplasms -- therapy Clinical Trials as Topic Neoplasm Metastasis California United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Clinical trials are a key part of improving treatment for breast cancer, including metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, the value of clinical trials for improving racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in care will only be realized if trials include diverse participant samples. (1) Barriers to enrollment in trials include poor awareness and lack of user-friendly information about trials, difficulties in accessing trial sites, and lack of clarity about whether or not trial costs are covered by insurance. (2) While some policy efforts have been made to address the cost barriers to trial participation, more work can be done to ensure diverse racial/ethnic representation. In 2019, 30,650 individuals were diagnosed with breast cancer in California, and 4,620 died from the disease. Metastatic breast cancer, also called stage 4 or advanced breast cancer, was the cause of nearly all of these deaths. An estimated 30% of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will go on to develop MBC. The five-year survival rate for MBC is only 27%, compared to 91% for breast cancer that has spread to lymph nodes and 99% for cancer that is confined to the breast. In this fact sheet, we present findings from interviews, discussions, and studies (see boxed section) on insurance-related barriers, and we recommend policy solutions that could improve access to care for patients with MBC.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (3 pages)).
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918351183306676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918351183306676