Survey results: What sponsors say is slowing cancer trials — and what’s helping

Oncology trials are becoming more complex, and sponsors are feeling the impact on timelines and site execution. This survey distills sponsors’ and CROs’ on-the-ground experience into a clear set of pressure points, and explores the interventions they believe can most reliably reduce burden and protect execution.

Operational friction is pervasive, say respondents to the Oncology Clinical Trial Operations survey conducted by BioCentury and Advarra, a clinical research services and technology company. Protocol amendments after study start were universal among respondents, and implementing changes commonly adds several months to timelines — a compounding effect that can ripple through staffing, site coordination and downstream data timelines. ...