Despite COVID-19’s impact on medical care, researchers are working hard to keep clinical trials open, recruiting, and on time. It’s clear that the effects of the pandemic on cancer clinical trials have the opportunity to outlast COVID itself. The FDA has established guidelines and policies to help trial teams maintain ongoing trials and recruit for new ones. Below you will find information about the impact of coronavirus on cancer clinical trials, ideas on what clinical trials could look like post-pandemic, guidelines from the FDA, and ways you can participate in trials from home.
If you are on a clinical trial or considering a clinical trial, talk to your doctor or the clinical trial team to learn how your hospital and your trial may be affected.
Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Clinical Trials
- COVID-19 Pandemic Hampering Launch of New Oncology Trials Cancer Therapy Advisor summarizes the results of clinical trials launched in the past 5 years.
- Clinical Trials Stopped Due to COVID-19 The Cancer Research Institute has a continually-updated list of clinical trials stopped due to the pandemic.
- COVID-19 has changed how clinical trials are conducted Cancer Treatment Centers of America provides a summary of the impact that fewer clinical trials over the past year could have on future cancer treatments.
- What to Expect: Enrolling on a Cancer Clinical Trial During COVID-19 Cancer Therapy Advisor provides guidance on what your experience might be like participating in a clinical trial during the pandemic.
Future of Clinical Trials
- COVID-19 and Its Impact on Oncology Clinical Trials Targeted Oncology describes how COVID has led to the development and implementation of new technologies in the operation of clinical trials.
- How the COVID-19 Pandemic Can Help Improve Cancer Research – The ASCO Post discusses how COVID revealed problems in cancer clinical trial operations and how these problems could be solved.
FDA Guidance on Clinical Trials
- FDA Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials of Medical Products during COVID-19 Public Health Emergency The FDA released a December update to their guidance on clinical trials during the pandemic.
Trials from Home
- Breastcancertrials.org: Trials that can be done from home
- COVID Surveys:
- NBCC: Breast Cancer and COVID-19 Ongoing Survey
- METAvivor: MBC and COVID-19 Survey
- ZOE (A Health Science Company) in collaboration with Massachusetts General, King’s College (London) & Stanford University: COVID Symptom Tracker
For all COVID-19 related information, visit the COVID-19 & Cancer main page.
To find clinical trials, check out the New Metastatic Breast Cancer Trials page.
Last Modified on March 31, 2021
