The purpose of the Summit Series on Cancer Clinical Trials is to provide a platform for all stakeholders in the clinical cancer research enterprise to come together to express what each sees as positive and negative aspects in the existing system and to suggest ways in which it can be made better. The hope is that by building a more responsive and efficient system, trial enrollment will increase which will permit faster development of advances in cancer treatment, prevention, control and symptom management. The need for the Summit Series is clear. Clinical trials are key components of an optimal system for delivering quality cancer care and offer benefits to patients and society.
Patients derive benefits by gaining quicker access to the newest treatments.
Trials help to minimize geographic and institutional variations in practice patterns and represent the only scientifically valid manner in which to establish treatment efficacy. External peer-review and audit functions in organized cancer research provides unparalleled degrees of institutional quality control and treatment monitoring. Yet, despite the many benefits offered by clinical trials the fact remains that fewer than 5 percent of adult cancer patients in the United States are enrolled in clinical trials. A number of recent studies have reported a number of concerns of patients and physicians that act as barriers to participation. Among these are patients' concerns about insurance coverage and out of pocket expenses, concerns of patients and physicians concerning randomization, regulatory burdens on investigators and institutions, funding resources that are being stretched more and more, and the lack of ready access to clear information on what trials are available.