BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

ASCO addresses financial barriers to participation in cancer trials

September 14, 2018 5:02 PM UTC

The American Society of Clinical Oncology proposed four ways to lower financial barriers that impede cancer patients' ability to participate in clinical trials, including a recommendation to improve payer clinical trial coverage policies.

According to a 2017 ASCO report, only 3% of cancer patients enter clinical trials. In a policy statement published Thursday, ASCO wrote that low participation is partly due to the rising cost of cancer care, a lack of transparency in coverage policies and the perception of ethical, compliance or institutional impediments to patient financial support. The authors said the distress caused by the patient-level cost of cancer care can inhibit a patient's ability to enroll or continue participating in a clinical trial. ...