Undercutting efforts of precision medicine: roadblocks to minority representation in breast cancer clinical trials

Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2021 Jun;187(3):605-611. doi: 10.1007/s10549-021-06264-x. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

Abstract

Precision (or personalized) medicine holds great promise in the treatment of breast cancer. The success of personalized medicine is contingent upon inclusivity and representation for minority groups in clinical trials. In this article, we focus on the roadblocks for the African American demographic, including the barriers to access and enrollment in breast oncology trials, the prevailing classification of race and ethnicity, and the need to refine monolithic categorization by employing genetic ancestry mapping tools for a more accurate determination of race or ethnicity.

Keywords: African Americans; Ancestry informative markers; Oncology trials; Race/ethnicity classification.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Black or African American / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Female
  • Hispanic or Latino
  • Humans
  • Minority Groups
  • Precision Medicine*