When cancer returns after often emotionally and physically challenging treatment, options can feel very limited. However, this may not be the case for much longer. Researchers at Sarasota Memorial Hospital have recently opened new ovarian cancer clinical trials, looking at promising treatments for women with advanced disease.
For Black women, this is a big opportunity. They often face more aggressive forms of ovarian cancer and higher death rates, yet are far less likely to be included in research studies. Ultimately, this leaves big gaps in knowledge about which treatments have the best outcomes.
In this article, we’ll break down what the Sarasota Memorial trial is about, the challenges Black patients often face when participating in clinical trials, and how we can advocate for greater access and inclusion.
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What This New Trial Is About
The Sarasota Memorial clinical trial is focused on a medication called Mirevtuximab Soravtansine (often shortened to Mirevtuximab). Healthcare providers are testing various schedules for administering the drug to determine if one is more effective and easier for patients.
The trial is open to women with ovarian, peritoneal (peritoneum), or fallopian tube cancers that have returned after chemotherapy. These types of cancers can be difficult to treat when they return, and many women run out of standard treatment options quickly.
So, why should Black women pay attention to this news? It’s because they’re often left out of potentially life-changing research. Too many cancer studies include mostly white patients, which means healthcare providers can’t accurately determine how well new treatments will work for Black patients. Making sure the Black community is represented in studies like this one could lead to better, more personalized care.
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Barriers Black Patients Face
While clinical trials can offer access to cutting-edge care, Black patients are underrepresented in them. That underrepresentation doesn’t happen by accident—there are real barriers that keep us out.
These barriers include:
- No invitation: Many Black patients report that their healthcare providers have never told them about clinical trials they could benefit from. If you don’t know an opportunity exists, you can’t take advantage of it.
- Mistrust: The history of medical racism runs deep, from the Tuskegee Syphilis Study to the Henrietta Lacks story to everyday experiences of bias and lack of cultural competency in healthcare. It’s no surprise that many of us are hesitant to volunteer for research.
- Money and life stress: Clinical trials often require extra medical appointments, travel, or time away from work. Add in childcare responsibilities or financial strain, and hurdles can feel overwhelming.
- Strict eligibility criteria: Sometimes trials exclude people with other health conditions—conditions that affect more Black people often, like high blood pressure or diabetes. That can leave fewer of us able to qualify.
- Lack of representation: When we don’t see Black healthcare providers or researchers heading clinical trials, it can feel less welcoming and harder to trust the process.
All of these things add up to a system where Black women face more barriers with fewer opportunities, even though they carry many of the disparities in ovarian cancer.
How We Can Overcome These Barriers
Here are some ways doctors, researchers, and communities can make clinical trials like Sarasota Memorial’s more accessible for Black women:
- Build trust locally: Partnering with Black churches, community organizations, and advocacy groups can make trials more visible and approachable. Trusted community leaders can help answer questions and share valuable information.
- Offer support: Programs that provide rides to appointments, childcare assistance, or financial aid could help alleviate the burdens that deter people from participating in clinical trials.
- Communicate more effectively: Doctors should share which clinical trials could benefit their patients. At the same time, patients should feel empowered to ask: “Are there any clinical trials that might fit me?”
- Utilize patient navigators: Patient navigators—social workers, nurses, or community health workers—can significantly impact encouraging Black patients to participate in clinical trials. These professionals can help explain the enrollment process, handle paperwork, and provide ongoing support so families don’t feel alone.
- Be more inclusive: Researchers should design trials that reflect the diversity of real-world patients, not just those who are easiest to enroll. That means loosening unnecessarily strict eligibility criteria and making sure Black women and other underrepresented groups are actively included.
When these steps are taken, clinical trials can serve all patients—not just a select few.
What This Means for Sarasota Memorial’s Trial
This new trial is an opportunity to test a medication that could help women with difficult-to-treat ovarian cancers. However, for it to make a difference, Black women should be included in the research.
Here’s what Sarasota Memorial could do to make the trial more inclusive:
- Partner with Black churches, sororities, and local community centers to spread awareness.
- Offer transportation or vouchers so patients don’t feel the need to choose between treatment and daily responsibilities.
- Train local healthcare providers to discuss clinical trials openly with every patient, not just a select group of patients.
If the trial is successful, it should not only prove that the medication works for recurrent ovarian cancer but that it works for all women, including Black women.
Final Thoughts
Sarasota Memorial’s ovarian cancer trial is a hopeful step forward for women with difficult-to-treat ovarian cancer. But for this research to make a significant impact, they need to include the people who are often excluded—Black women.
Clinical trials aren’t just about science—they’re about the people. Ensuring that Black women are part of science is the only way to ensure these treatments truly work for us.
