Despite improvement in overall survival for patients with multiple myeloma, racial minorities benefit less from these survival gains. Earlier research shows racial minorities are under-represented in multiple myeloma clinical trials, with scarce reporting of their enrolment.
A recent, review published in Lancet Haematology, by Ghulam Rehman Mohyuddin et al., commented on the reporting and enrolment of racial minorities in multiple myeloma (MM) randomized controlled trials (RCTs) between 2005 and 2019.
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Of the 100 trials, reporting on 45,524 patients, that met their inclusion criteria,the group found that only 26 RCTs reported the racial composition of their enrolled cohorts. There were 16,452 patients in these 26 trials. Of those, only 2,612 (16%) were non-white. Only 19 studies reported the number of black patients: 730 (6%) of 12,915 patients.
The percentage of racial minorities enrolled in MM clinical trials remained consistent across the 14-year study period. Non-white participants made up 14.7% of trials between 2005 and 2009, 21.2% of trials between 2010 and 2014, and 13.5% of trials between 2015 and 2019.
The researchers concluded: “We advocate for increased minority representation on trials and transparent reporting of proportions of such patients on RCTs to provide meaningful counselling and equitable care for all”
Reference: Lancet Haematol. 2020 Oct;7(10):e704-e706. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3026(20)30281-7. Epub 2020 Sep 1.