Curran Walter J, Schiller Joan H, Wolkin Allan C, Comis Robert L
Department of Radiation Oncology, The Emory Clinic, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Clin Lung Cancer. 2008 Jul;9(4):222-6. doi: 10.3816/CLC.2008.n.033.
Conducting research in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is challenging, primarily because of low patient accrual rates resulting from patient-, physician-, protocol-, and healthcare system-related barriers. The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups convened a 1-day program entitled Addressing the Current Challenges of NSCLC Clinical Trial Accrual to develop specific strategies for enhancing accrual into NSCLC clinical trials and to increase and sustain the level of discussion with and among cooperative group and community-based researchers. Some of the important areas that were highlighted at the meeting included predictors of successful and unsuccessful trial accrual based on 6 NSCLC trials, of which 4 were considered high-priority NSCLC trials; issues surrounding the process of clinical trial activation; and the role of patient advocates in enhancing trial accrual. Efforts by multidisciplinary teams comprising clinical and laboratory researchers, patient advocates, governmental agencies, and private industries are needed to improve NSCLC trial activation and accrual, with a focus on commitment to ongoing communication among all constituents, measures to improve the activation process, and increased study awareness at the community oncology and patient levels.
对非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）患者进行研究具有挑战性，主要原因是患者、医生、方案和医疗保健系统相关障碍导致患者入组率较低。癌症合作组联盟召开了为期一天的项目，题为“应对NSCLC临床试验入组的当前挑战”，以制定提高NSCLC临床试验入组率的具体策略，并加强合作组与社区研究人员之间的讨论水平并使其持续下去。会议强调的一些重要领域包括基于6项NSCLC试验（其中4项被视为高优先级NSCLC试验）的成功和不成功试验入组的预测因素；围绕临床试验启动过程的问题；以及患者倡导者在提高试验入组率方面的作用。需要由临床和实验室研究人员、患者倡导者、政府机构和私营企业组成的多学科团队做出努力，以改善NSCLC试验的启动和入组情况，重点是致力于所有参与者之间的持续沟通、改善启动过程的措施，以及提高社区肿瘤学和患者层面的研究认知度。
