Clinical Trials on Colorectal Cancer in South Africa

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is amongst the most important cancers in resource-constrained South Africa. It is crucial that setting-specific research be conducted which seeks to answer questions around the feasibility of emerging treatment modalities for CRC in South Africa, as well as the subsequent clinical outcomes in patients receiving these treatments. Aim: To determine the status of CRC clinical trials in South Africa and identify areas in which CRC clinical trials need strengthening in this setting. Methods: A search of ClinTrials.gov, the Pan-African Clinical Trials Registry, and PubMed was performed to identify clinical trials of CRC in South Africa. Information on each clinical trial was collected and analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results: There were very few registered clinical trials on CRC in South Africa (n=20). Most studies were already completed at the time of this analysis (n=16, 80%), and were international multicenter studies on which South African research sites contributed data (n=19, 95%). Phase III trials were common (n=19, 95%), particularly those investigating pharmaceutical drugs (n=15, 75%). Most studies were funded by medical or pharmaceutical companies (n=12, 60%). Conclusion: The dearth of CRC clinical trials in South Africa must be addressed. This could primarily be achieved through local capacity development in clinical oncology and research methods.