Integrating Early-Stage Drug Development with Clinical Networks; Challenges and Opportunities: The City of Hope...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Clinical Trials
• Precision Medicine

Background:

• Patients with advanced cancer benefit from biomarker/genomically informed early-stage clinical trials.
• Most early-stage clinical trials occur at academic centers, limiting access for community practice patients.
• Bridging this gap is crucial for equitable cancer care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe City of Hope's initiatives to integrate community oncology practices into its early-stage clinical trial program.
• To understand how to provide early-stage clinical trial benefits to community-based cancer patients.
• To serve as a model for other institutions.

Main Methods:

• Developing a virtual trial matching clinic for refractory diseases.
• Expanding phase 1 clinical trials to a regional satellite hub.
• Implementing enterprise-wide precision medicine, germline, and somatic testing.

Main Results:

• Ongoing efforts focus on integrating community oncology practices into academic clinical trials.
• Key initiatives include virtual clinics, satellite hub expansion, and comprehensive testing programs.
• The goal is to understand and replicate approaches that benefit community patients.

Conclusions:

• Integrating community practices into academic early-stage clinical trials can expand patient access.
• City of Hope's multi-pronged approach addresses logistical and infrastructural barriers.
• This model offers a framework for other institutions to improve community patient participation in clinical trials.