TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, and Breastcancer.org lead unprecedented When We Tri(al) movement to address breast cancer clinical trial disparities

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance and Breastcancer.org are bringing together partners from all corners of healthcare to disrupt the status quo for Black women's clinical trial participation. By applying key insights from original observational research, they are creating compelling and effective messaging to educate Black women about the benefits of joining breast cancer clinical trials and about the safety measures that protect study participants.

Black women are drastically underrepresented in clinical trials, accounting for only 3% of clinical trial participants, and as a result are missing out on access to newly emerging and often life-extending treatments. Until more Black women are included in research, they will continue to face worse breast cancer outcomes. When We Tri(al) is focused on the urgent need to end these disparities.

When We Tri(al), a movement dedicated to empowering and educating Black women on the importance of clinical trial participation, aims to change the devastating breast cancer mortality rates for Black women, who are 41% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.

"We MUST advance the science for Black Breast Cancer," says Ricki Fairley, CEO of TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance. "This is a matter of life and death for Black women. Starting a Movement takes a village. We cannot do this work alone. We are eternally grateful for the commitment and leadership of Genentech who embraced our request for support, and all of our partners who have brought resources and platforms for outreach and engagement. We welcome all who want to join this essential lifesaving educational effort. Our hope is that our When We Tri(al) Movement provides a safe and results-driven space for organizations to work collaboratively towards our common goal of eradicating Black Breast Cancer."

"To achieve health equity and improve outcomes for Black women, we must join together across organizations for a united effort to save lives," says Hope Wohl, CEO of Breastcancer.org. "Breastcancer.org is dedicated to empowering people in all aspects of their care, including the choice to participate in a clinical trial. We believe that providing resources about breast cancer clinical trials with impactful messaging for Black women will lead to lifesaving opportunities and better representation in research. We're proud to partner with TOUCHBBCA, Genentech, and all of the When We Tri(al) partner organizations for this powerful new movement."

Black women can find information about the fundamentals of clinical research on whenwetrial.org. The When We Tri(al) site was built by Black women, for Black women. It addresses earned medical mistrust and provides useful resources, including a clinical trial search page that allows Black women diagnosed with breast cancer to search for clinical trial opportunities through free, vetted sources like Citizen, BreastCancerTrials.org, and the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation.

"BreastCancerTrials.org is proud to work alongside TOUCHBBCA and Breastcancer.org to provide patient-friendly personalized clinical trial matching to help Black women find breast cancer trials that are right for them," says Susan Colen, Program Director of BreastCancerTrials.org.

"The Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation believes that all Black women diagnosed with breast cancer deserve the opportunity and resources necessary to consider a clinical trial," says Hayley Dinerman, Executive Director and co-founder of the TNBC Foundation. "We are honored to partner with TOUCHBBCA and Breastcancer.org to that end."

Led by the support of Genentech, which has demonstrated time and again their commitment to diversity in breast cancer research, the When We Tri(al) industry partners have broken down barriers by working together to support this movement.

"We're honored to partner with TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, and Breastcancer.org on innovative research and the When We Tri(al) movement," states Quita Highsmith, Genentech's Chief Diversity Officer. "At Genentech, we are working to reduce inequities in clinical trial participation for communities historically excluded from research, and this campaign is crucial to realizing that vision." You can hear Quita Hightsmith speak more on the collaborative foundation of When We Tri(al) at  www.whenwetrial.org.

This unprecedented initiative is made possible by the generous support of our partners: Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Pfizer, Seagen, Daiichi-Sankyo, and Eisai.

Media Contacts

Alex Hill |TEN35 for TOUCH + Breastcancer.org | 313.213.2149 | [email protected],  

Camille Johnson |TEN35 for TOUCH + Breastcancer.org | 651.443.1471 | [email protected] **

About Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance

Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance drives the collaborative efforts of patients, survivors, advocates, advocacy organizations, health care professionals, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies to work collectively, with accountability, towards the common goal of eradicating Black Breast Cancer. Though there are numerous breast cancer advocacy groups and stakeholders, there is a dire need to bring all patients, survivors, advocates, advocacy organizations, health care professionals, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies together to serve as allies to fight Black Breast Cancer.

About Breastcancer.org

Breastcancer.org is a leading patient-focused resource for breast health and breast cancer education and support. Their mission is to engage and empower people with research, expert information, and a dynamic peer support community to help them make the best decisions for their lives. The nonprofit organization, founded in 2000 by chief medical officer Marisa C. Weiss, M.D., has reached 194 million people worldwide since its inception. Visit www.Breastcancer.org for more information.

About Genentech

Genentech was an early supporter and remains a significant funder of the When We Tri(al) movement for the inclusion of Black women in clinical trials. Genentech is committed to advancing health equity through strategic charitable giving partnerships aimed at designing lasting and innovative solutions to systemic healthcare disparities.

SOURCE Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance; Breastcancer.org