The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) recently released two free online resources to help clinical research sites diversify participation in cancer clinical trials. Additionally, two manuscripts demonstrating the utility and feasibility of these resources were recently published in ASCO’s JCO Oncology Practice. Access these resources below and learn more about them in this virtual discussion.
- ASCO-ACCC Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Research Site Self-Assessment (Site Self-Assessment) helps research teams identify potential opportunities and specific strategies to improve EDI in clinical trials while doing an internal review of existing policies, programs, and procedures
- Just ASK™ Increasing Diversity in Cancer Clinical Research: An ACCC-ASCO Training Program identifies opportunities for change at the individual level and provides real-world examples to enhance the understanding of participants. A Facilitation Guide provides guidance to continue the conversation around implicit biases after the initial training.
Research Statement on Diversifying Clinical Trial
The ASCO-ACCC research statement (see image) details specific actions to engage the entire cancer clinical trial ecosystem in expanding the participation of underrepresented individuals in research to advance progress against cancer. Review the overview of the recommendations and read the full research statement.
Additional Strategies and Resources
An annotated reference list of detailed strategies and resources is also available online. This list is intended to provide examples of strategies for research sites to increase EDI in cancer clinical trials. It may also help stimulate research to establish evidence-based strategies that demonstrate increased participation of patients historically underrepresented in clinical trials.
Initial Work of the Collaboration
Announcements About the Initiative
- Pilot Program Shows Diversity-focused Clinical Trial Tools are Useful at Cancer Research Sites (January 11, 2023)
- Diversify Your Cancer Clinical Trials with New Recruitment and Retention Resources (July 25, 2022)
- Leading National Cancer Organizations Release Wide-ranging Recommendations to Expand Diverse Participation in Cancer Clinical Trials (May 19, 2022)
- Oncology Practices Nationwide Show High Interest in Diversifying Cancer Clinical Trials (July 15, 2021)
- ASCO-ACCC Piloting Test Tools to Diversify Cancer Clinical Trials (May 3, 2021)
- ASCO & ACCC Join Forces to Increase Participation of Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations in Cancer Treatment Trials (July 20, 2020)
Thank You to Our Donors:
The ASCO-ACCC Collaboration to Increase Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Clinical Trials is funded through Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, by generous donors of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative.