Clinical Trials

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Clinical trials are a key component of high-quality care for cancer patients and enable cancer breakthroughs. Clinical trials help cancer patients access the latest innovations in cancer care, and they help advance new standards of care that can improve survival rates and quality of life for people with cancer.  

Unfortunately, clinical trial participation can be difficult and unreachable for many cancer patients, who often have to take time off work, travel long distances, and incur significant costs to participate. This leads to many clinical trials being unable to enroll enough participants and increasingly is leading to more clinical trials for new treatments and therapies being conducted outside of the U.S.  

ACS CAN is working to reduce barriers to clinical trial participation and increase enrollment among underrepresented groups, including rural residents, those with limited income, older adults and communities of color. 

Take Action

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Urge your members of Congress to make clinical trials more accessible

No cancer patient should have to pass up a clinical trial because of where they live or how much money they make. That’s why we need Congress to act. Send a message to your members of Congress and urge them to pass a bill that will make clinical trials more accessible.

Latest Updates

September 14, 2026
National

More than 750 cancer patients, survivors and advocates from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico, will be on Capitol Hill this week.

August 24, 2026

Today, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), joined by 128 other patient advocacy groups, public health organizations and professional societies, submitted a letter responding to the request for information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG) regarding

August 19, 2026
National

According to a new American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) survey, 89% of cancer patients and survivors say they would be more likely to participate in a clinical trial outside their local area if trial sponsors helped them organize or pay for travel and lodging to offset the extra travel.

July 13, 2026
National

Today, the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network submitted a comment letter to the Office of Management and Budget strongly opposing a proposed rule that would change the federal government’s grantmaking framework.

Clinical Trials Resources

Twenty five groups joined to ask the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) to create a safe harbor from the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) allowing sponsors to financially support participants in cancer clinical trials. 

Over 130 organizations have endorsed the Clinical Trial Modernization Act (H.R. 3521).  The legislation would address known barriers to cancer clinical trial participation, enabling financial and technical support of patients enrolled on trials while protecting them from unexpected tax burdens from that support. 

ACS CAN submitted comments on draft U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance on Collection of Race and Ethnicity Data in Clinical Trials and Clinical Studies for Food and Drug Administration-Regulated Medical Products.