Foundation Grantees in the News: Rethinking Trial Participation


Patient participation is essential to the success of clinical trials, yet accrual among adults remains low. A study funded by The Hope Foundation for Cancer Research and led by Dr. Joseph Unger shows that 55% of all adult cancer patients, regardless of race or ethnicity, agreed to join a clinical trial when offered the opportunity to participate.

Joseph M. Unger, PhD
Joseph M. Unger, PhD

This finding overturns common beliefs about why patients do or don’t join studies. “The findings suggest the root cause of low clinical trial participation in adults with cancer is a clinical trials system beset with structural and clinical barriers rather than a patient lack of interest,” says Unger.

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