HIV patients with cancer must travel farther than others to access clinical trials
For people living with HIV, the road to a promising cancer treatment can be longer than it should be, literally.
People living with HIV who need cancer treatments face challenges in accessing clinical trials, particularly for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. A study led by researchers from the University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, and others found that HIV-positive cancer patients travel farther to reach CAR-T trials that include them compared to those excluded.
The median travel time to a trial including HIV patients is 1.15 hours, while for those excluded it is 0.84 hours. The gap is wider in the U.S. South, with travel times of 1.70 hours versus 0.92 hours. Only 13.8% of 80 interventional CAR-T trials included HIV-positive patients, while 72.5% explicitly excluded them. Factors such as income level and geographic region also influence access, with lower income associated with longer travel times.
The study emphasizes the need for HIV-inclusive eligibility criteria and decentralized trial sites to reduce barriers and ensure equitable access to emerging CAR-T therapies.
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