Gender representation in Australian academic Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Groups.

Abstract

Background: Gender inequity in medicine is particularly topical. Women are underrepresented at higher levels of clinical academia (1). Reviewing female representation as lead investigators for academic cancer trials is timely and has implications not only on provision of patient care but mentorship and leadership (2) of cancer care providers. Aim(s): To report on the gender distribution of principal investigators (PI) in Australian academic cancer clinical trial groups. Methods : Details of PIs publicly listed on trial groups websites were analysed. PIs on multiple trials are counted for each study. The following groups (current names) were reviewed: Australasian Gastrointestinal Trials Group (AGITG), Thoracic Oncology Group Australia (TOGA), Breast Cancer Trials (BCT), Australia and New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG), Australia and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group (ANZUP), Melanoma And Skin Cancer Trials (MASC), Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO), TransTasman Radiation-Oncology Group (TROG), Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA), Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative (PaCCSC), Cancer Research in Primary Care (PC4), The Australian and New Zealand Children's Haematology/Oncology Group (ANZCHOG), The Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group (ALLG). Results : Public information was available for 11 Australian Academic Trials; two groups (ANZCHOG, ALLG) did not have PI listings. A total of 321 trials (range of 10-74 per group) had 374 PIs, of which 139 were women (37%). In order from least to highest: 4.2% (ANZUP), 11.3% (AGITG), TROG and ALTG (33.3%), 41.7% (COGNO), 43.7% (BCT), 44% (PC4), 46.9% (MASC), 54.8% (PaCCSC), 55.2% (ANZSA) and 80% (ANZGOG). PI's by craft groups (female/total): medical oncology (66/158), radiation oncology (29/86); surgical oncology (5/59). Further analysis of trends over time is underway. Conclusion(s): There is an underrepresentation of females as PIs in most Australian clinical trials groups. Some groups do not have publicly available data. Proactive strategies to address the imbalance should be adopted.