Trends: Telehealth, Cultural & Inclusive Breast Trial Recruitment

The past 18 months have accelerated changes in how breast cancer trials recruit and retain participants. Analysis of 2024–2025 trial activity shows clear convergence: decentralized tools, culturally specific outreach, and eligibility reforms are combining to make studies more accessible — especially for rural, non-English speaking, and medically complex patients.

Telehealth and remote enrollment: reaching rural participants

Telehealth-enabled enrollment strategies for rural participants became a measurable driver of trial diversity in 2024–2025. Multiple pragmatic evaluations reported up to a twofold increase in rural enrollment when remote screening, virtual consent, and local phlebotomy were combined with central trial oversight. One recent consortium pilot (2024) that partnered academic centers with community oncology clinics used videoconference consent and couriered biospecimen kits; rural accrual rose by nearly 40% compared with the prior year.

Case study: decentralized trial pilot

A 2024 multi-site breast cancer prevention study used telehealth visits for eligibility assessment and follow-up. Investigators reported shorter median time-to-enrollment and a higher retention rate among participants living >60 miles from a site. The pilot highlighted practical workflows: scheduled interpreter services on video platforms, flexible lab windows, and automated reminders via trial discovery tools that connected eligible patients to study teams.

Culturally tailored recruitment and language access

Culturally tailored recruitment for breast cancer trials is shifting from checkbox outreach to co-designed engagement. Trials that embedded community health workers and local advocacy groups in 2024 saw higher enrollment among Hispanic and Black women. Language-accessible informed consent for non-English speakers moved from ad hoc translation toward professionally validated consent modules and audio-visual consent scripts, improving comprehension scores in on-site assessments.

Case study: community co-design

A 2024 community oncology network collaborated with a Latina advocacy group to redesign outreach materials and consent videos. Enrollment of Spanish-preferring participants doubled over six months, and satisfaction surveys showed greater trust in the research team. The study team credited both the culturally tailored recruitment for breast cancer trials and the use of trial-matching platforms to surface site-level opportunities.

Inclusive criteria and comorbidities

Pressure to broaden eligibility has grown: inclusive eligibility criteria for patients with comorbidities reduced screen failures in several 2024 adjuvant trials. By allowing controlled diabetes or stable cardiovascular disease under predefined management plans, some trials increased eligible pools by 15–25% without compromising safety monitoring. Adaptive monitoring and centralized safety review were key enablers.

Data from 2024–2025 programs suggest combined strategies — telehealth, cultural tailoring, language access, and broader criteria — produce the largest gains in equitable enrollment.

Implications for clinicians and trainees

Medical students and residents are increasingly learning research through participation in decentralized recruitment workflows. Training modules now include remote consent best practices, cultural humility in recruitment, and how to assess comorbidity risk in eligibility decisions. These learners often act as bridges between community patients and research teams, improving enrollment quality.

• How might telehealth change where and how you refer patients to trials?
• What supports exist for non-English speakers to understand trial risks and benefits?
• Can a patient’s managed comorbidity be accommodated under flexible eligibility?
• Are there local or platform tools to match my patient to suitable studies?

Looking ahead, 2025 should see more trials publish comparative data on decentralized versus traditional recruitment, and regulators are likely to formalize guidance on inclusive criteria and language access. Modern clinical trial platforms are now integral to this evolution — they help surface opportunities, coordinate interpreters, and streamline connections between patients, clinicians, and investigators. The net effect: a research ecosystem that is more patient-centered, and more representative of the populations trials seek to serve.