Компания Genentech внедряет меры для устранения расового неравенства в онкологии и доступности клинических испытаний

Closing Gaps With Equitable Oncology Care Genentech integrates science, evidence and partnership to help improve health outcomes for more patients in more communities. The American Cancer Society estimates that roughly 80% of cancer outcomes are driven by social determinants of health, such as financial barriers, housing insecurity and lack of health literacy, while only 20% stem from tumor biology itself. At the same time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has shown that 75% of clinical trial participants in the United States are white, and 80% of genomic material available for scientific research globally is derived from that same population. Based on research showing overlapping demographic disparities in cancer care and drug trial enrollment, healthcare organizations are working to become more equitable and accessible. Among them is biotech company Genentech, which has engaged with national and regional health systems as well as research and advocacy foundations such as the American Cancer Society. Through these engagements, Genentech has seen encouraging outcomes on a number of fronts. The genesis of Genentech’s initiatives stemmed partly from the “ZIP code vs. genetic code reality” related to social drivers of health, according to Jackie Ingram, customer engagement principal, Population Health. “This gap forced a pivot from solely focusing on molecular science to addressing the societal barriers preventing patients from accessing the science,” Ingram says. The other factor was the reliance of precision medicine and oncology research on skewed sampling data from clinical trials. “Because we know cancer manifests and responds to treatment differently across various ethnicities, Genentech realized that it could not deliver true, personalized healthcare without diversifying its research,” Ingram says. Engaging Patients Genentech partners with healthcare providers, community-based organizations and advocacy groups to increase education and access to care through health screening initiatives and regional health summits. “We try to meet patients where they are, and we try to provide disease education and just show up hyper-locally to be a presence,” Ingram says. For example, to encourage people to sign up for cancer screening, Genentech has participated in several health systems’ community wellness events. American Society of Clinical Oncology research shows that getting access to care closer to home improves treatment adherence. In addition to local care, support such as assistance with temporary lodging and meals when travel is required can help patients stay on track with their therapy. Equity Leads to Speed Among the encouraging outcomes has been a debunking of the assumption that diversifying clinical trials means slower timelines. Genentech’s Advancing Inclusive Research initiative has enrolled participants twice as quickly in specialized clinical trial sites targeting Black and Latino patients. Additionally, enrollees were 87% more diverse, according to Ingram, who cited American Society of Clinical Oncology data. Regarding breast cancer specifically, Black women have a nearly 40% higher mortality rate than white women, but only comprise 6% of clinical trial populations. Genentech targets such gaps in a variety of ways. Among them has been the “Love Letters Campaign,” launched during the COVID-19 pandemic when breast cancer screening rates plummeted. The campaign involved writing a letter to one’s mother, sister or aunt to express love—and encourage mammograms. A study showed that more than 80% of participants reported that they intended to take action after the campaign, whether by scheduling screenings or having conversations with loved ones, while also showing significant improvements in self-reported health literacy, according to Ingram. Genentech also has undertaken a collaboration with SelectHealth—a health plan serving Utah and Idaho and affiliated with nonprofit Intermountain Healthcare—that improved breast cancer screening rates by about 11% over three months. Genentech also has worked with the American Cancer Society as a founding sponsor of the Get Screened movement, resulting in more than 1.4 million additional cancer screenings and more than 18,000 diagnoses since 2020. The company also supported the When We Tri(al) collaboration with TOUCH: The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, which has enrolled 35,000 people in clinical trial portals to find out more about new research opportunities. Strengthening Trust To overcome patients’ mistrust in the medical system, Genentech has been intentional about avoiding “corporate-speak,” according to Ingram. “We’ve had a very hyper-local, peer-led infrastructure.” Promotores, which are community health workers dedicated to improving care in Latino communities, “can effectively shift the messenger, rather than the message,” she says. “That’s been very impactful.” As trusted community voices, promotores help to close gaps by delivering culturally relevant health education, building confidence in the healthcare system and connecting people to cancer care services and clinical research. “Bringing the needs of our Latino communities to light and working together with providers has yielded excellent results,” one of the promotores working with Genentech shared. “We are there to support and educate the community, including about the importance of representation in clinical research, so we can have the medicines of the future.” Among the lessons Genentech has learned is that while patient mistrust exists, the biggest barrier to equity in clinical trials is structural, according to Ingram. “Hyper-rigid criteria actually excluded the very patients that were burdened with the disease,” she says. As the promotores initiative underscored, clinical care “has to be more than just transactional,” she says. “It needs to be more of a relationship that we’re building.” “The ultimate advice is to not treat population health as an isolated corporate social responsibility initiative,” Ingram says. “If you want to make a lasting impact, you want to build it directly into the organization’s work—from early stage research design to clinical development, and into the commercial distribution infrastructure. “True innovation means nothing if the delivery system prevents it from reaching the people who need it most.” Letter, story and original artwork used with permission.  To learn more, visit LoveYouGetScreened.com. © 2026 Genentech Inc. All Rights Reserved. M-US-00033206(v.1.0); M-US-00033190(v1.0) 07/26