Dr. Kahn on the Importance of Diverse Clinical Trial Participation in Oncology

Justine Kahn, MD, MS, a pediatric oncologist, and clinical investigator at Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the importance of diverse clinical trial participation within the oncology space.

Clinical trials are the avenue through which patient outcomes can be improved, through the discovery of new drugs and modalities, according to Kahn. Improving diversity and equity in clinical trials allows experts in the field to identify which patients benefit from different therapies, as well as what is missing and needed, she explains.

Clinical trials are the best way to glean information about different patient subgroups with highly complex diseases, Kahn says. Additionally, clinical trials may represent the ability to access care, as the act of enrolling on a trial insinuates that a patient is able to access medical services, which is an important factor, Kahn concludes.