2026 · Critical reviews in oncology/hematology · paywalled
From site-centered to patient-centered: Promises and challenges of decentralized clinical trials in oncology
Gentile et al.
The finding, in our words
This review suggests that decentralised clinical trials in oncology can improve patient participation and equity but face significant regulatory, logistical and digital hurdles. It concludes that these trials offer a flexible model dependent on specific clinical contexts rather than a universal replacement for conventional methods.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
Ten decentralised cancer trials run across 47 Veterans Affairs medical centres enrolled 134 patients, nearly a third of them rural and a fifth from minority groups, matching the population the VA's tele-oncology service already reaches. The authors' own caveat stands: remote conduct widened access, and not every trial design can be run this way.
Friedman et al., Journal of the National Cancer Institute (paywalled) · source ↗
Hybrid decentralized oncology trials are feasible in community hospitals beyond traditional networks, reducing logistical and financial burdens and enabling rapid initiation and patient referrals within three months.
A nationwide survey of 194 professionals across 140 Japanese hospitals found that geographic and logistical barriers limit access to comprehensive genomic profiling and genotype-matched trials, with over half of eligible patients declining participation due to travel distance; most institutions support telemedicine for consent and results and view DCTs as essential to improve equitable access.
Taniguchi et al., International journal of clinical oncology · source ↗
A 2025 review maps 28 microsampling devices, from dried spots and volumetric absorptive tips to upper-arm liquid capillary collectors, and names what a laboratory must control before their results are used: the haematocrit effect in non-volumetric dried samples, interstitial fluid from finger milking, volume, haemolysis and transport stability. Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic ask for the same two things, a device the patient can use safely and a sample fit for the test.