Teens ‘excluded from cancer trials’
Teenagers with cancer are missing out on UK trials which could significantly improve their chances of survival, it has been claimed.
According to the British Journal of Cancer, just 25 per cent of 15 to 19 year olds were recruited for trials which took place from 2005 to 2007, reports the BBC.
Furthermore, the research indicated that not one person aged over 16 was included in a trial for brain cancer – even though four people were available.
Inclusion in such trials has been proved to be vital, as it improves care, as well as providing access to new drugs and more specialists.
Simon Davies, chief executive of Teenage Cancer Trust and one of the authors of the study, said the number needs to double over the next five years.
"Young people are constantly falling through the gap between paediatric and adult cancer specialists and there are not enough trials for the types of cancers that affect them," he said.
Cancer Research UK has announced a £1.5 billion research plan for the next five-year period.
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