Summary
Clinical trials test new ways to find and treat cancer. They are how new treatments become standard care. But a new study shows that very few patients with advanced cancer take part, and whether they do depends a lot on their doctor.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center looked at data for 205,743 people in the United States with advanced cancer, from 2011 to 2024. The study was published on October 6, 2026, in the journal JAMA Network Open. It included many types of cancer, not just lung cancer.
What did they find?
Only 5.2% of patients, about 1 in 20, joined a clinical trial. That number grew over time, from 3.9% in 2011 to 6.8% in 2024, but it is still low.
Trial enrollment was also very uneven. About 23% of doctors accounted for nearly 84% of the patients who joined trials. About 20% of medical practices accounted for about 81%. The biggest differences came from the doctors and practices, not from the patients themselves. In other words, a patient’s chance of joining a trial depended heavily on which doctor they saw.
Why does this matter?
Many patients never hear about trials because their doctor or clinic doesn’t take part in research. The study’s authors say that getting more patients into trials will take stronger research systems and more doctors who are involved in research.
What can patients do?
You can ask your care team about trials at any time. Questions to ask:
- Is there a clinical trial that could be right for me?
- Has my tumor been tested for biomarkers?
- If you don’t offer trials here, can you refer me to a center that does?
