Sharing is caring: a network collaborative approach to identify and address barriers in accessing clinical trials in adolescents and young adults with leukemia and lymphoma

Abstract

Leukemia and lymphoma are 2 common hematologic cancers in adolescents and young adults (AYAs, age 15-39 years at diagnosis); however, this population has historically had lower clinical trial enrollment and less dramatic improvements in overall survival compared to other age populations. Several unique challenges to delivering care to this population have affected drug development, clinical trial availability, accessibility, and acceptance, all of which impact clinical trial enrollment. Recently, several national and institutional collaborative approaches have been utilized to improve trial availability and accessibility for AYAs with hematologic malignancies. In this review, we discuss the known barriers to cancer clinical trial enrollment and potential approaches and solutions to improve enrollment for AYAs with leukemia and lymphoma on clinical trials.