Dr. Duma on the Importance of Mitigating Racial Disparities in Lung Cancer Research

Narjust Duma, MD, medical oncologist, Division of Hematology, Medical Oncology, and Palliative Care, University of Wisconsin ​School of Medicine and Public Health, discusses the importance of mitigating racial disparities in lung cancer research. 

In the lung cancer space, most data are collected from white, male populations, says Duma. This information is then extrapolated to underrepresented populations.

​The field should move toward overcoming this extrapolation to ensure treatment decisions are optimized for individual patients, Duma explains.

Notably, in 2019, the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center evaluated the relationship between participation in clinical trials and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic non​–small cell lung cancer. Results showed that the patients ​who enrolled in clinical trial had a median OS that nearly doubled the OS of those who were not included. 

Ultimately, giving all eligible patient​s the opportunity to participate in clinical trials is necessary to provide optimal care ​and appropriately extrapolate data to underrepresented patients, Duma concludes.