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The clinical trials system is broken

Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology volume 6, page E2 (2009)Cite this article

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Arising from: DeVita (2008). The clinical trials system is broken. Nat Clin Pract Oncol 5: 683 doi:10.1038/ncponc1263

The recent editorial by Dr DeVita Jr, decries the current US system of performing clinical trials in oncology because it is plagued by long delays due to overregulation. The rate of scientific and clinical progress—in particular in the new targeted therapies—has accelerated during the past few decades so that an average delay of 800 days to start a cancer trial, as documented by the NCI study of Ditts and Sandler, is now an even more significant delay than it would have been in the recent past. Dr DeVita proposes decentralizing the authority over phase I and II trials to NCI-designated cancer centers, which would remain subject to FDA and NCI oversight. This seems like a suggestion that would greatly accelerate the pace of the trials without compromising the safety of trial subjects.

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  1. swbuckner@verizon.net

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  1. Sandra Buckner

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  1. Sandra Buckner
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The clinical trials system is broken Nat Clin Pract Oncol 5: 683 doi: 10.1038/ncponc1263

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Buckner, S. The clinical trials system is broken. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 6, E2 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncponc1352

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