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Minorities needed in clinical trials to improve cancer care by Loretta Mouzan Holling Cancer Center Clinical trials are essential to improving health care for all people. They are research studies to test new drugs, devices or treatment strategies on humans. Volunteers are critical to helping researchers learn how safe and effective a new treatment will be. The Hollings Cancer Center wants potential volunteers to understand clinical trials and how their participation could improve cancer care for them, their families and future generations.   “Clinical trials are extraordinarily important,” said HCC director Andrew S. Kraft, M.D. “We’re seeing an explosion of scientific discoveries that are opening up a range of opportunities for earlier diagnosis, fewer side effects and more effective treatments and improved prevention strategies. As physicians, the only way we can bring these new treatments to patients is through clinical trials.  Less than 1 percent of all adults with cancer in South Carolina are going into clinical trials; if we are going to fight this war on cancer, we need everyone’s participation.”   To help people understand clinical trials, the HCC is hosting a cancer educational seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 12 at Burke High School, 244 President St. The seminar is free and open to the public. Zora K. Brown, author, advocate for women’s health/health disparities issues and three-time cancer survivor is the keynote speaker. Carlton D. Donald, Ph.D., assistant professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at MUSC, will answer the question – “Clinical trials: what’s in them for me and my family?”   “In order to make a difference in cancer tomorrow, we have to take action today. It will require everyone taking part to make this a reality,” Donald said.   More minority participation is needed in clinical trials. It is critical that people from all races participate in clinical trials, because different ethnic groups often respond differently to drug therapies, Donald said. But fear and distrust are among the reasons that African-Americans cite for declining to volunteer for clinical trials. Many African-Americans know the history of the controversial Tuskegee Experiment or Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which was carried out in Macon County, Ala., from 1932 to 1972. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the United States Public Health Service, in trying to learn more about syphilis and justify treatment programs for blacks, withheld adequate treatment from a group of poor black men who had the disease, causing needless pain and suffering for the men and their loved ones. Therefore, African-Americans are left with a legacy of distrust that not only keeps them from participating in clinical trials, but also keeps many of them from participating in the medical system for basic, preventative health care.   Marvella E. Ford, Ph.D., associate director of HCC’s Cancer explained, “Even though the Tuskegee Experiment was a terrible event, it led to the creation of laws that protect the rights of all people who take part in clinical trials. These laws are designed to keep a study like the Tuskegee Experiment from happening again. All studies now require Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval before any participants are recruited.”   The IRB, also referred to as the Human Rights Board, is made up of physicians, ethicists, religious leaders and other community leaders who are required to look at studies that use human or animal subjects. The main responsibility of the IRB is to protect the public from harm and look carefully at each study’s methods to make sure the research is done in an ethical way.   “We conduct clinical trials so that we can advance cancer care and hopefully one day find a cure,” said Terri Matson, director of HCC Clinical Trials. “The population affected by cancer is varied, as cancer doesn’t discriminate by sex, age or race. Our concern however, is that historically minority participation in clinical trials has been lower then we would like to see. This is a problem, because our research is not representative of the population affected by cancer. In a field where we are now beginning to target treatments based on the patient’s genetics, it is more important then ever to ensure all populations, including minorities, are represented in cancer research.”   Meanwhile, cancer is the second leading cause of death in South Carolina claiming more than 9,000 lives each year. More than 22,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed in the state annually. The vision of HCC is to become recognized by the National Cancer Institute as a leader in the understanding of cancer and translating this knowledge into exceptional clinical care, prevention and training the next generation of cancer physicians and researchers.   To register for the free HCC cancer educational seminar, contact Jim Etheredge at 792-8192 or etherjam@musc.edu. There is no cost for the seminar. Free breakfast and lunch will be provided.     Friday, May 4, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. 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