Research
Engaging Research to Achieve Cancer Care Equity
ERACE Research Award
Announcing Award Recipients
We are pleased to announce that two grant applications have been accepted for the ERACE Research Award. The grant includes access to ERACE’s Real-world data (RWD) patient registry in support of cancer disparity research.
Partnerships
The partnerships and collaborations formed under ERACE
reaffirm our commitment toward achieving cancer health equity
National Cancer Institute ASCO Janssen Bristol Myers Squibb
Yale University School of Medicine AmeriHealth Syneos Health
The Roux Institute at Northeastern University
News
Notable Press and Media
Racial disparities in Covid-19 are bad. They’re even worse in cancer.
The currents of the racial justice movement and the Covid-19 pandemic have amplified persistent and pernicious disparities in access and outcomes across so many aspects of American life, including cancer care.
Many people are aware of the dire — and disproportionate — consequences that Covid-19 has had on the Latinx and Black American communities. New research shows that newly diagnosed Black cancer patients are at a higher risk of severe Covid-19 than white patients.
Why Cancer Registries are Part of America’s Fight for Racial Equality
According to a 2019 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one in 1,000 Black males can expect to die at the hands of the police. Black males were also 2.5 times more likely to die during an encounter with police than white males. For some, those figures are staggering. For many others, they are reminders of the racial disparities that have existed for far too long in this country.
So, in 2020, when recent events have brought racial injustice back into the national spotlight, it is important to take a closer look at all aspects of life where inequities exist – and not just in the criminal justice system.
On-Demand Webinar
When It All Works: Case Studies for Success With Patient Diversity in Clinical Trials
How are clinical trials with increased patient diversity leading to more successful treatments? While industry progress towards diverse clinical trials has been slow, there are many inspiring cases where more inclusive patient populations have been used to provide effective treatments for the communities that need them. How can early development of sound clinical and ethical expectations for a trial drive better outcomes? What difference does it make to apply business intelligence and analytics to the challenges of diversity? Join this discussion with industry experts to learn how a trial sponsor or CRO makes this work.
ACRPtv – Spotlight On… Confronting Disparities in Cancer Research
“It’s unfortunate that racial inequality in healthcare [and cancer research] has been around for decades, and it’s something that only recently has come back into the forefront because of the pandemic,” Whyte says in our December 8, 2020 conversation. “I’ve been pleased to see a number of institutions this year start to do something about it,” he adds. Whyte also discusses his own initiatives in the field trying to address cancer care inequities through education and outreach.
Health Disparities in Cancer Care
Minorities in the US bear a disproportionate burden of cancer compared with other population groups. The health disparities and measurable differences in outcomes manifest across the cancer care continuum, from prevention and diagnosis, through treatment, monitoring and mortality.
This understanding guided ConcertAI to form ERACE (Engaging Research to Achieve Cancer Care Equity), a multidisciplinary initiative to better understand cancer disparities and create innovative solutions to eliminate them.
ERACE Advisory Board
ERACE has partnered with institutions and investigators in cancer inequities
Otis W. Brawley, MD
Otis Webb Brawley is an American physician and the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Oncology and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University. He served as Chief Medical and Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Cancer Society from 2007 to 2018.
Tuya Pal, MD
Tuya Pal is Associate Director of Cancer Health Disparities and Ingram Professor of Cancer Research at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, a practicing Clinical Geneticist focused on Inherited Cancers, and Professor of Medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH
Chris Lathan is a Medical Director at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Faculty Director at the Cancer Care Equity Program, Pulmonary Oncologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Erica Warner, ScD, MPH
Dr. Warner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Assistant Investigator at MGH. She is a member of the Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center in the Cancer Epidemiology and Risk and Health Disparities Programs.
asco quality care symposium
Racial Disparities in Performance Status
A new study by ConcertAI based on patient-reported outcomes makes another compelling case for addressing disparities in treatment outcomes and racially biased access to clinical trials – and for why a new research focus is imperative.
See Full StudyMethods
Retrospective Study of Self-Assessed Performance Status (ECOG)
Background
- Clinical trials lack adequate number of racial minorities.
- Performance status often a criterion for clinical research.
- Poor performance status can exclude patients from clinical trial participation.
Patient in Study
- 55.4% White
- 38.0% Black
Results
Black patients overall reported higher average ECOG scores and greater difficulty performing daily functions than White patients.
Patients reporting not being able to take care of themselves
Blacks
Whites
Conclusion
Patient Registry
The ERACE Patient Registry is foundational to its mission of eliminating inequities.
The registry provides a real-world view of potential differences in clinical practice, patient outcomes, safety, and comparative effectiveness among cancer patients of color and other marginalized groups.
Learn more about ERACE
