Parallels between the development of therapeutic drugs and cancer health disparity programs

Abstract

BACKGROUND There are analogies between the development of therapeutic drugs for cancer and the development of interventions for reducing cancer health disparities. In both cases, it can take between 12 and 15 years for the benefits to become apparent. METHODS The initial preclinical phase of drug development is analogous to the development of community partnerships and helping the community learn about cancer. The preclinical phase of in vitro and in vivo testing is analogous to identifying the disparities in the community. Then clinical testing begins with phase 1, toxicity, and dose-establishing studies. Analogously, community-based participatory research is used to develop disparities–reducing interventions (DRIs) within the community. RESULTS The phase 2 clinical studies to determine whether the drug has activity are analogous to the DRI being implemented in the community to determine whether it can cause behavioral changes that will reduce cancer health disparities. If a drug passes phase 1 and 2 studies, phase 3 clinical trials are initiated. These are controlled studies to examine the efficacy of the drug. The similar activity for disparities research is to determine whether the DRI is better than the current standard/usual practice in controlled trials. If the drug is beneficial, the final phase is the dissemination and adoption of the drug. Analogously in disparities, if the DRI is beneficial, it is disseminated and is culturally adapted to other racial/ethnic groups and finally adopted as standard practice. CONCLUSIONS The process of creating an effective DRI can be envisioned to have 4 stages, which can be used to aid in measuring the progress being made in reducing cancer health disparities.

Using social network analysis to evaluate community capacity building of a regional Community Cancer Network

“…The Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network (TBCCN) is one of 25 community network programs funded by the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI’s) Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities with the objectives to create a collaborative infrastructure of academic and community-based organizations and to develop effective and sustainable interventions to reduce cancer health disparities (Chu, Chen, Dignan, Taylor, & Partridge, 2008). The TBCCN aims to address critical access, prevention, and control issues that impact medically underserved, low-literacy, and low-income populations in selected areas of Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties, Florida (Meade, Menard, Luque, Martinez-Tyson, & Gwede, 2009).…”

‘Simple and easy:’ providers’ and latinos’ perceptions of the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for colorectal cancer screening

“…Participants, regardless of past CRC screening history, had generally low awareness and knowledge of the FIT test. These findings speak to novelty of the FIT test among underserved populations and the health disparity gap between health innovations/discoveries (Chu et al 2008, Freeman 2004). Despite the increasing acceptance of the FIT among the health care community (Lee, Boden-Albala, et al 2014, Lee, Liles, et al 2014), a significant lag time still exists among our study’s populations.…”

The Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training (AANCART)'s contributions toward reducing Asian American cancer health disparities, 2000‐2017

“…Between 2006 and 2010, the NCI followed with the Community Network Programs and followed with the Community Networks Program Centers (CNPCs) program (RFA‐CA‐09‐032) between 2010 and 2015. AANCART reports up to 2010 have been published previously, including shaping an understanding of the science of cancer health disparities, and thus will not be repeated here.…”