Expanding Clinical Trial Access for Patients With Kidney Cancer

It is important to expand clinical trial access for patients with kidney cancer in order to ensure a representative study population, according to Dr. Eric Jonasch. He added that this makes it more likely that research findings will translate into effective treatments for more patients.

“The more representative our study population is of the broader population, the more likely it is that our research findings will lead to similar positive outcomes in the real world,” Jonasch, a principal investigator at the Kidney Cancer Research Consortium (KCRC), emphasized.

KCRC is the first and only clinical research consortium dedicated to kidney cancer, according to the research consortium's website, noting that the company continue to support collaborative efforts and ongoing clinical research for patients with kidney cancer.

To delve deeper into this topic, Jonasch sat down for an interview with CURE to discuss how expanding clinical trial access may help bring new treatments to more patients as quickly as possible.

Jonasch is a professor in the Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston. He also serves as director of the von Hippel Lindau Center at MD Anderson Cancer Center and is vice chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Kidney Cancer Guidelines.

Transcript

What does new research mean for patients with kidney cancer interested in clinical trials, and how could expanding access help bring new treatments to more people faster?

The collective work demonstrated in [ongoing research], particularly with the KCRC, shows that clinical trials are being developed to improve upon already effective treatments. This means that these trials are increasingly likely to both advance our knowledge and directly benefit patients.

The value of this approach is increasing by expanding access to more patients, which allows us to gather a more representative study population. When a drug is eventually approved, having a diverse study population makes it more likely that the drug will be effective for a broader range of patients in the general population. Therefore, the more representative our study population is of the broader population, the more likely it is that our research findings will lead to similar positive outcomes in the real world.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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