CLINICAL RESEARCH WORKSHOP
Tuesday, December 6 • 8:00 am – 9:45 am CT • Stars at Night Ballroom 1&2
Presentation: Statistical considerations for precision medicine
Nabihah Tayob, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Data Science
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA
What is your presentation about?
The goal of precision medicine is to identify the optimal treatment or intervention for each patient based on individual characteristics, such as age, gender, molecular or genetic biomarkers, etc. We can also use precision medicine in a range of contexts. For example, we can develop a tailored screening strategy for the early detection of cancer or the optimal treatment regime after diagnosis of cancer. In each of these settings, I will discuss the key statistical principles for investigators to take into consideration during study design and data analysis.
What makes this topic important in 2022?
As we are able to obtain a greater depth of information about our patients, there is great interest in tailoring our clinical interventions. However, careful study design and analysis are still required before implementation of a precision medicine strategy or there may be unintended consequences. To truly realize the benefits of precision medicine we require a team-science approach with close collaboration between biostatisticians, computational biologists, and clinical care research teams.
How/why did you become involved with this area of breast cancer research or care?
I started working on developing statistical methods for biomarker evaluation in early detection of cancer during my postdoctoral fellowship. I joined DFCI in 2019 to lead the biostatistics team that collaborates with the investigators in the Susan F. Smith Cancer Center at DFCI and my research in biomarker evaluation has expanded into breast cancer-focused projects as well.
Presentation: Bringing clinical trials to all patients: A patient’s perspective
Thelma Brown, BSc
Patient Advocate
Member, Breast Cancer Working Group, University of Alabama at Birmingham
What is your presentation about?
For multiple reasons, many patients do not have access to, or choose not to participate in clinical trials. As an advocate, I feel it is always my responsibility to be the voice of breast cancer patients. Therefore, I will discuss the importance of participation in clinical trials and barriers to participation from a patient perspective.
What makes this topic important in 2022?
We know that clinical trial participation overall is low. We also know that some populations are under-represented in clinical trials, primarily due to a variety of barriers. Participants in clinical trials should represent the patients who are burdened by the disease. It is essential to include people from different communities in clinical trials, not only to promote health equity, but also to improve generalizability of trial results. As we enter the era of personalized medicine, clinical trial participation becomes even more urgent to ensure that all patients benefit from scientific advances.
How/why did you become involved with this area of breast cancer research or care?
As a two-time survivor, co-survivor, and patient advocate, I am passionate about equitable treatment and access for all throughout the spectrum of cancer care — from diagnosis to treatment. Participation in clinical trials should be considered an important option on that spectrum.