Access to Clinical Trials for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer: A Meta-Research Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Background:The 18-year-old age limit for inclusion in clinical trials constitutes a hurdle for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. We analyzed the impact of this age barrier on the access of AYAs to cancer trials and novel therapies. Methods:ClinicalTrials.gov was searched to identify all the trials including patients with 10 malignancies relevant for AYAs (January 2007 to July 2018). The trials were categorized as pediatric (patients <18?y), adult (?18?y), and transitional (including adult and pediatric patients). Transitional trials with a lower limit between 12 and 18?years and an upper limit younger than 40?years were considered AYA-specific. Results:Of 2764 identified trials, 2176 were included: 79% adult, 19% transitional, 2% pediatric. Five trials were AYA-specific. The proportion of academic trials was higher for transitional (69%; 288 of 421) than for adult trials (48%; 832 of 1718) (P

SUBMITTER: de Rojas T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7050014 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature