What eClinical features do onology researchers need? According to a new analysis, oncology will account for the majority of clinical trials launched and completed in 2020. This incredibly challenging and rapidly changing area of research sees new hope with immunotherapy and basket trials — which have already led to remarkable breakthroughs. Yet, despite some optimism, it still faces daunting hurdles. A surprisingly low number seek clinical trials for cancer – just 5% of people eligible actually participate.
With the scourge of cancer affecting many during their lifetimes, we at Medrio want to do everything we can to help researchers fight it. Our eClinical software has been trusted in 400+ oncology studies since our founding in 2005. Here are features we strongly encourage you to consider as you plan future oncology research:
Software to Accommodate Adaptive Trial Designs
As one of the most important recent innovations in clinical research, adaptive designs improve efficiency by making make trials iterative. They allow researchers to use insights gained during a study and incorporate them into that same study. The benefits are enormous: real-time insights can make individual oncology trials more successful and reduce the number of studies needed for regulatory submission.
What do data managers and sites need from an eClinical platform for adaptive trials? Not every Electronic Data Capture (EDC) can handle these designs smoothly – some can slow you down significantly. Look for these features:
- You can make real-time mid-study changes without taking the whole study offline.
- You can quickly test and deploy changes without disrupting your study.
- If you use eSource features like Direct Data Capture (DDC), ensure they sync directly to the EDC and require no tedious manual copying.
Features That Reduce Patient Burden and Prevent Dropouts
Patient recruitment and retention are perhaps the top challenges for oncology. Decentralized trials, including virtual trials and hybrid trials, are on the rise, helping researchers to overcome patient obstacles and collect higher quality at the same time. While it would be impossible for many oncology studies to go entirely virtual, some decentralized elements can be highly useful. Take a look:
- Tools like ePRO will be essential for the future of oncology. Cancer patients who may be suffering from server physical pain can not endure long car trips to sites. Enabling participants to report data from home will serve them better and reward you with higher quality data. Regulators support you in doing this.
- eConsent, with its multi-media features, enhance communication between research teams and participants. This system can lower patient dropout rates 9% to 10%, potentially saving as much as $400,000 in a Phase III study.
- With new public health challenges like COVID-19, it’s even more important to let the sick and vulnerable rest and stay at home.
If you’re interested in learning more about decentralized trials, how they work, and how they could potentially benefit your research, we recently put out an on-demand webinar with tons of useful information. You can watch it here.
Ways to Avoid Errors and Streamline The Overall Research Process
An unfortunate truth about the nature of cancer research is that it’s often a matter of life and death. While speed and accuracy are essential for all areas of clinical research, the stakes can’t get much higher when it comes to oncology. Here are a few resources that can help:
- For sites, you want to consider direct data capture. It can reduce monitoring by 50% and virtually eliminate transcription errors. This can significantly reduce timelines.
- A unified, cloud-based system where all data entered is instantly available to all parties in real-time. This will boost patient safety and empower you to make informed decisions about your studies faster.
- A centralized customer support team that can answer all of your questions all in one place. No clinical trial is without problems – and having one team that can resolve all your issues quickly is incredibly valuable.
The road to new cancer treatments is no easy path. However, planning your studies effectively and enlisting best-fit tools and support increase your team’s potential to make a massive impact on public health.
We at Medrio are behind you 100% — your success means longer, healthier lives for those who depend on your work.
