During Black History Month, we’re emphasizing the importance of diversity in clinical trials to help bridge the gap in cancer care. Representation in clinical trials helps improve patient outcomes, reduce biases, and promote health equity. Unfortunately, Black women are underrepresented in clinical trials, making up 1-3% of participants in breast cancer clinical trials despite facing worse outcomes.
For Black breast cancer patients, the effects of underrepresentation are profound. Ambassador and Creative Director for The Breast of Us Cynthia J. says “I think what’s so often missed is that this data doesn’t always include large demographics of us. To get the answers, to get proper treatment, we have to be involved and we have to work through those barriers of mistrust to be part of the equation.”
Breast cancer survivor Sharon A. recognizes the lack of trust in the medical system and uses her platform to emphasize the importance of clinical trial participation. She says “I talk about clinical trials on social media. We have to move past that [distrust] because we’re not getting a lot of the quality treatment. They don’t have enough data to help with the research. Something that I want to help with is getting people of color to volunteer for research because we need that data.”
Diverse participants in clinical trials provide researchers with a better understanding of how new therapies will affect the broader population. On the other hand, certain drugs may be more effective in one population compared to another, but again, data is needed to understand how new medicines influence different populations and backgrounds.
Although Yvonne M. withdrew from her clinical trial due to side effects, she is glad she participated.
She says “I knew the impact of science and research. In the African-American community and other minority communities, we need people to participate [in clinical trials] because we need more drugs that are going to be tailored to treating us and ensuring that we survive many of these cancers.”
Yvonne adds “Let’s forge a new path and join up on these clinical trials so that we can help one another and help the broader community.”
Join the movement towards equitable breast cancer care with the Outcomes4Me app where you can receive the latest personalized treatments and clinical trials.
