Metastatic Breast Cancer + Clinical Trials

October 14, 2022

What should determine if you’re eligible for a breast cancer research project? Your stage? Your individual needs and abilities?

If you ask Rethink’s Metastatic Breast Cancer Advisory Board, that depends on the research and what it’s trying to achieve.

Last year, a member of Rethink’s MBC Advisory Board was rejected from a trial about breast cancer and exercise, only because people living with MBC were excluded. Full stop. It didn’t consider individual abilities, quality of life or anything else.

This led the MBC Advisory Board to many excellent discussions about the need to include MBC patients (when clinically responsible) in research, with the goal of improving the lives of people living with MBC. They took a deep dive on the issue and developed this position paper (below). It not only addresses eligibility criteria, but also tackles including people with MBC in all stages of research from design to reporting, how data is collected and shared and ensuring diverse populations are represented in the research and more. 

You can read or download the complete position paper by clicking below.

PS: Change is possible! The original study, that excluded people with MBC changed their criteria after MBC Advisor Board members spoke up and advocated for change.