ASH 2023: A Real-Time Dashboard for Acute Leukemia Clinical Trial Enrollment Diversity at Multiple Levels

INTRODUCTION / STUDY OBJECTIVE

During ASH 2023, Dr. Andrew Hantel stopped by to tell our HealthTree for AML team about his study on minimizing exclusion in clinical trials for AML patients. His study includes a real-time visual dashboard that aims to track enrollment diversity in acute leukemia clinical trials at the practice, investigator, and individual clinician levels, which is currently in development. This dashboard, created by investigators from the Dana Farber study, can aid in the effort to increase the diversity of clinical trial participants, which will contribute to the mission of effectively treating acute leukemias. Watch the video below, or continue reading to hear more about this exciting study.

METHOD AND RESULTS

The goal was to create a system that accurately assigns patients to the right clinical group, oncologist, and research protocol. To do so, the researchers used electronic health record data (EPIC), the clinical trial registration system (OnCore), and software to create visualization (Tableau). They measured the accuracy of this assignment algorithm using a statistical metric called AUROC (area under the receiver operator curve). 

Researchers initially had an AUROC of 0.78 compared to the manual review, which is considered an acceptable score. Through testing and revisions, they improved the algorithm's accuracy to an AUROC of 0.98, which is an outstanding score. They then created real-time visualizations showing enrollment diversity, including trends over time and enrollment process metrics. 

From June 22, 2022, to June 21, 2023, 28.7% of 432 patients participated in a treatment trial, and 66.4% participated in a biobanking study. The created dashboard effectively provides real-time data on clinical trial participation in acute leukemias. Enrollment rates were relatively high and linked to socioeconomic status, location, and disease type, but not race-ethnicity. The dashboard is being improved to include trial eligibility metrics and will undergo further performance testing.

SIGNIFICANCE

In the U.S., more people from marginalized groups need to participate in adult acute leukemia clinical trials. This new assignment algorithm tool seeks to improve clinical trial participation of these groups and provide accurate and timely data on patient participation. The dashboard offers a valuable resource for medical practices, investigators, and clinicians to enhance and monitor the inclusivity of clinical research. By doing this, acute leukemia clinical research can further advance, leading to better patient outcomes for all diverse groups. In the video below, Dr. Hantel goes into more detail on the role this dashboard can play in the addressing disparities experienced by AML patients. 

Clinical trials are essential to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new medical treatments and interventions. Through these trials, researchers can gather critical data that can speed up the availability and efficacy of advanced treatment for acute leukemias. You can search for acute myeloid leukemia trials using our clinical trial finder tool on our website.