Therapeutic areas

Getting community oncologists to refer patients to oncology trials

By TrialNotice · Updated
Community oncologist in a white coat and oncology nurse in navy scrubs reviewing a printed summary in a clinic hallway
Short answerMost cancer patients, about 85% by one widely cited estimate, are diagnosed and treated in community practices, yet community cancer programs enroll only 4.1% of patients in treatment trials, compared with 21.6% at NCI designated cancer centers. When patients are offered a trial, 55% agree. Referrals from community oncologists connect the patients who are treated locally with trials they are rarely offered.

Where are cancer patients treated?

Mostly close to home. While cancer research has traditionally been run at academic medical centers, about 85% of cancer patients are diagnosed and treated at local, community based practices (CancerNetwork).

How does trial enrollment differ by setting?

A national study using Commission on Cancer data estimated that 7.1% of patients with cancer enroll in treatment trials (Unger et al., JCO). The setting makes a large difference (Healio):

21.6%
NCI designated comprehensive cancer centers
5.4 to 5.7%
academic and integrated network programs
4.1%
community cancer programs

Do patients say yes when asked?

More than half do. In a study of nearly 10,000 patients, 55% agreed to take part in a trial when one was offered (Healio, summarizing Unger et al.). The gap is in offering, and that starts with the physician who sees the patient.

Which physicians should an oncology site contact?

  • Community medical oncologists and hematologist oncologists in the tumor type your study targets.
  • Surgical and radiation oncologists, who see patients at key decision points.
  • Oncology nurses and navigators. Tufts CSDD found nurses refer too, and they face the same information gap as physicians (Tufts CSDD).

What does a community oncologist need to refer?

  1. Tumor type, stage, and line of therapy in one line.
  2. Key biomarker or prior treatment requirements.
  3. Site location, investigator, and a direct coordinator contact.
  4. How care will be coordinated with the referring oncologist during and after the study.
  5. A commitment to report back on every referral.

That last point matters because community oncologists want to keep their patients' care connected. Explain it clearly up front. See how to follow up with referring physicians.

Get your study in front of the right local physicians

TrialNotice builds a physician referral pipeline around one active study. We identify relevant local physicians within driving distance of your site, send study aligned direct mail, follow up by email and LinkedIn, track engagement with recipient level QR codes, and route warm responses into your site team's workflow.

Talk to TrialNotice

Sources

  1. CancerNetwork, "Inadequate Awareness of and Participation in Cancer Clinical Trials in the Community Oncology Setting"
  2. Unger J.M. et al., "National Estimates of the Participation of Patients With Cancer in Clinical Research Studies," Journal of Clinical Oncology, PubMed
  3. Healio, "More than 20% of patients participate in cancer research" (summary of Unger et al.)
  4. Applied Clinical Trials, "Tufts CSDD Study Explores Low Recruitment Rates"

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