Clinical Trial Matching Systems Increase Cancer Trial Accrual

Strategic Insights -

Cancer researchers at Pontifical University Javeriana and Stanford University have discovered that informatics solutions can facilitate clinical trial screening, improving patient engagement and enrollment. They designed and implemented a personalized clinical trial matching system that integrated electronic medical records, clinical trials management systems, and a third-party software-based solution to directly connect providers with clinical research coordinators and appropriate trials. The results showed significant increases in clinical trial screening requests and subsequent enrollment.

Key Takeaways:

  • The researchers conducted a three-year study to develop and implement a clinical trial matching system that integrated electronic medical records and clinical trials management systems.
  • The system significantly increased clinical trial screening requests, with 20 requests in the first year and 236 requests in the third year.
  • The "conversion rate" of referred patients who enrolled in clinical trials ranged from 16% to 26% over the three-year period.
  • The study concluded that clinical trial matching systems can increase awareness of available trials and provide a mechanism to increase clinical trial accrual, especially when implemented at the point of care for easy access at treatment decision points.
  • The researchers validated the utility of the platform and plan to focus on further efforts to drive utilization through software features.
  • The study highlights the importance of patient identification and recruitment to clinical trials, which remains a significant challenge in the development and approval of novel cancer therapeutics.

Statistics:

  • 20 clinical trial screening requests in the first year, increasing to 236 requests in the third year.
  • 16% to 26% of referred patients enrolled in clinical trials over the three-year period.
  • 3 years of staged rollout for the clinical trial matching system.
  • The system was implemented at the point of care for easy access at treatment decision points.

Sources:

  • Development and implementation of cancer clinical trial patient screening using an electronic medical record-integrated trial matching system. BMJ Health & Care Informatics, 2025,32(1) doi: 10.1136/bmjhci-2024-101295
  • NewsRx. Study Results from Pontifical University Javeriana Provide New Insights into Cancer (Development and implementation of cancer clinical trial patient screening using an electronic medical record-integrated trial matching system). Health & Medicine Week. August 1, 2025; p 5172.