Trial Results: ECOG-ACRIN research round-up – Fall 2023

Breast Cancer – Asian and Black women in the TAILORx trial had higher rates of recurrence

• The unequal distribution of wealth, education, health care access, and other resources leave many individuals from racial and ethnic minoritized communities at higher risk for more illness and earlier death from various medical conditions, including cancer. Recently, researchers reviewed outcomes 8 years after treatment in women who participated in the landmark TAILORx trial of nearly 11,000 women with early breast cancer (hormone receptor-positive and node-negative). Researchers already knew that the overall rate of locoregional recurrence (in the breast or nearby lymph nodes) was generally low. However, a closer look found that recurrence was 4% among Asian and non-Hispanic Black women, 3% among Hispanic women, and 2% among non-Hispanic White women. These differences in TAILORx occurred even in a clinical trial population with similar access to care. Kantor O. JAMA Surgery. April 2023

Clinical Trial Search Engines – Smartphones offer opportunities to improve access to cancer clinical trials

• Cancer clinical trials are a treatment option for many people, including those with rare diseases or specific biomarker-driven cancers. A new editorial article, Searching for Clinical Trials in Oncology: Finding a Path through the Maze, focuses on solutions that address the needs of patients to identify cancer clinical trials in their preferred location. It lists the currently available trial-finding mobile search applications (apps) and defines the qualities of a good search app. The authors describe how leveraging clinical trial apps on smartphones can be one potential solution to the problem of inadequate enrollment in cancer clinical trials. The authors include Jill Feldman, who is affiliated with EGFR Lung Cancer Resisters, the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Advocates Committee, and the ECOG-ACRIN Lung Cancer Committee. Desi A. Ann Oncol. June 2023

Immunotherapy – Researchers document the experiences of patients and their caregivers

• Immunotherapy medicines can be effective for people with advanced (metastatic) blood cancers. However, some of these treatments carry the possibility of life-threatening side effects. Thus, patients may require family and caregivers to stay close during treatment. The responsibility of managing a great deal of physical care and emotional support often falls to these caregivers. Because many of these treatments are new, there is a need to collect information that will improve understanding of patients' experiences. With better information, doctors can help patients and their caregivers know what to expect from these treatments and how to prepare beforehand. Kirtane K. Leuk Lymphoma. February 2023

Precision Medicine – A new podcast reveals how the NCI-MATCH trial is having profound impacts 

• A clinical trial called NCI-MATCH paired patients with cancer drugs based on specific genetic changes in their tumors, driving the disease's growth and spread. It did not matter what type of cancer they had. New trials like ComboMATCH are now looking at combinations of targeted treatments. A new podcast features Peter O'Dwyer, MD, from the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, and Lindsay Harris, MD, from the National Cancer Institute. They share how precision oncology expands treatment options and increases patients' survival rates. They also discuss the importance of clinical trials like these to discover better ways to treat cancer.