ASCO addresses financial barriers to participation in cancer trials
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. ...