Increasing the number of clinical trials available to adolescents diagnosed with cancer.

Improving access to clinical trials for adolescents with cancer remains an important issue for pediatric health care providers. In this brief report, we highlight barriers to increasing the number of clinical trials as a mechanism for addressing this problem. The challenges discussed include: (1) engaging stakeholders to increase funding; (2) increasing cooperation between clinical trial cooperative groups; and (3) permitting delivery of novel drugs to postpubertal adolescents, in the absence of formal pediatric Phase I evaluation.