RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Increased global cancer incidence rates have led to a growing demand for cancer diagnosis and treatment, as well as basic and clinical research on the subject. The expansion of clinical cancer trials beyond the borders of highly developed countries has aided the arrival of these assessments in South American countries. In this context, this study's objective is to highlight clinical cancer trial profiles developed and sponsored by pharmaceutical companies and conducted in South American countries from 2010 to 2020. METHODS: This study comprises descriptive and retrospective research conducted following a search for clinical trials (phases I, II and III), registered at clinicaltrials.gov, carried out in Latin American countries and sponsored by pharmaceutical companies ("Argentina", "Brazil", "Chile", "Peru", "Colombia", "Ecuador", "Uruguay", "Venezuela", "Paraguay", "Bolivia"), registered between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2020. A total of 1451 clinical trials were retrieved, of which 200 trials unrelated to cancer were excluded and 646 duplicates were removed, leading to a final total of 605 clinical trials employing qualitative and quantitative analyses. RESULTS: A 122% increase in the number of clinical trial registrations from 2010 to 2020 was noted, with a prevalence of phase III studies (431 trials of a total of 605). Lung (119), breast (100), leukemia (42), prostate (39) and melanoma (32) were the main cancers tested for new drugs. CONCLUSIONS: The data reported herein indicate the need for strategic basic and clinical research planning that considers South American epidemic cancer profiles.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Brazil is a country of continental dimensions with great potential for the development of clinical studies across the whole territory to tackle the needs of the population. It is therefore important to obtain the national profile of clinical trials in order to identify local strengths and weaknesses in terms of productivity and study application. Thus, this paper aims to highlight the profiles of clinical studies on cancer developed and sponsored by hospitals, institutes, universities and international institutions in Brazil between 1997 and 2015. METHODS: This is a retrospective and analytical study in which the content analysis method of Laurence Bardin was used. Data were collected from the clinicaltrials.govdatabase, where 783 clinical studies on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment were found; 188 (24 %) of these corresponded to national initiatives and 595 (76 %) to international initiatives. RESULTS: The results show an increase in the number of national clinical studies, in particular phase III studies. There is a clear absence of national clinical studies focusing on the development of new chemical and biotechnological products in oncology. CONCLUSION: The results indicate a regional imbalance in the distribution of national and international clinical trials. POLICY SUMMARY: The present study aims to improve understanding of the profile of clinical studies registered in Brazil and to draw attention to the improvements needed in the health sector's productivity to address the national demand.
