With the share of oncology trials continuing to increase, the case for using digital tools in these trials grows with it.

Today, cancer trials are the most commonly researched of all diseases, with their share of clinical trials growing each year. According to research from Tufts CSDD,  the number of cancer drugs “has nearly quadrupled since 2000, to 1,489 trials in 2021, up from 421 two decades earlier.”

Tufts CSDD notes that this growth comes as “oncology drug developers are increasingly shifting toward precision medicine, embracing new molecular targets and improvements in genetic sequencing technologies”

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Modern clinical trials employ various digital-based tools and technologies designed to increase the speed, accuracy, and ease of conducting clinical trials. In the best-case scenario, these tools are housed in the same experience or a  “clinical trial platform.” 

Clinical trial platforms are software-based, web-based, and/or cloud-based solutions that facilitate clinical trial research throughout its entire lifecycle. They offer a complete technology ecosystem that connects patients, research sites, and trial sponsors from patient recruitment to close out and data submission. Users of clinical trial platforms can access and operationalize all of their digital-based tools through this connected platform. Platforms can prevent users from accessing parts of the platform not permitted for them. For instance, participants can not view other participants' data or gain access to tools meant for sites. Other users, like sponsors’ study teams, have access to the full suite of tools as needed based on their roles.