Geospatial Mapping of Head and Neck Cancer Research: Assessing Access, Disparities, and Characteristics of Head and Neck Cancer Clinical Trials Across the United States.

OBJECTIVE

To report geographic distribution and characteristics of head and neck cancer (HNC) clinical trials in the United States.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of U.S. HNC clinical trials searching ClinicalTrials.gov from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021 using the terms "head and neck cancer" or "head and neck neoplasms."

RESULTS

A total of 381 clinical trials met inclusion criteria with 2181 trial opportunities, which were correlated with population density. Of the U.S. population, 72% live within a 25-mile radius of trials. California, Pennsylvania, and New York had the greatest number of clinical trial entries. The majority of patients living more than 25 miles from an HNC clinical trial site are located in rural areas. One hundred sixty-five (43.3%) trials were about systemic therapy, of which 138 (83.6%) involved targeted immunotherapy. There were 286 unique principal investigators. One hundred six (37.1%) were females and 180 (62.9%) were males.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrate disparity in the geographic distribution of HNC trials favoring densely populated urban areas, which may limit patient access due to travel burden. Studies are skewed towards immunotherapy drug trials, with fewer radiation and surgery investigations.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III.