To increase awareness about clinical trials in the Latino community and address misconceptions, the American Lung Association (ALA) is expanding its “Awareness, Trust and Action” campaign to Port St. Lucie, Florida, according to an ALA news release.

 

Diversity in clinical trials helps ensure that medical products are safe and effective for everyone. It also helps advance health equity and understanding of how medicines work for different groups of people. Despite the benefits of representation, Latinos, who represent about 19% of the U.S. population, account for only 1% of clinical trials, according to the ALA.

 

The campaign seeks to improve lung cancer care and outcomes for Latino communities in Florida and across the United States by boosting clinical trial diversity and awareness.

 

Although lung cancer incidence and mortality among Latinos are about half those of non-Hispanic whites, an estimated 6,000 Latino men and 5,800 Latinas were diagnosed with lung cancer from 2021 to 2023, according to the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts and Figures for Hispanic/Latino People.

 

“In the past decade, clinical trials have played a crucial role in advancing lung cancer research and improving survival rates. Unfortunately, Hispanic participants are greatly underrepresented, and this campaign brings awareness to this important issue,” said Frank J. Eidelman, MD, member of the Lung Association’s South Florida Board, in the news release.

 

The ALA interviewed physicians and patients to identify barriers to clinical trial participation and learned that there is a need for clear, culturally appropriate education about clinical trials—and their importance—in the Latino community. The ALA’s interviews also revealed that mistrust of the medical system on the part of Latinos is an often unacknowledged barrier to care.

 

According to the ALA, the campaign aims to:

 

  • Raise awareness among Latino lung cancer patients/caregivers (as well as the larger Latino community) about the availability and importance of clinical trials as a treatment option for lung cancer;
  • Address misconceptions and mistrust around clinical trials and convey their value as a potential treatment option; and
  • Empower Latinos to act by talking with their doctors about lung cancer clinical trials.

 

“Not only do trial participants benefit from the latest science and treatments, but researchers can better understand how lung cancer treatments work in different populations,” Eidelman said. “Ultimately, clinical trials can give all lung cancer patients better lifesaving treatments.”

 

To read more, click #Clinical Trials. There, you’ll find headlines such as “DA Guidance Provides New Details on Diversity Action Plans Required for Certain Clinical Studies,” “Clinical Trials Less Accessible for People Most in Need” and “New Effort to Include People With HIV or on PrEP in Clinical Trials [VIDEO].”