Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
Bladder cancer trials are clustered far from the hardest-hit communities. A new study found that over 75% of U.S. counties had zero bladder cancer clinical trials between 2019 and 2025 — and only 3% of counties with the highest mortality rates had any trial access. Experts say trial placement needs to follow disease burden, not just existing research infrastructure.
A new study published in JAMA Network Open reveals a stark geographic mismatch in U.S. bladder cancer research: clinical trials are concentrated in well-resourced areas, while communities bearing the heaviest disease burden are largely left out. Analyzing 436 trials conducted between 2019 and 2025, researchers found that only 22.7% of U.S. counties hosted even a single bladder cancer trial.
The findings are especially concerning when mortality is factored in. Higher incidence was linked to more trials, but higher mortality was actually associated with fewer — suggesting trials follow diagnosed patients in established cancer centers, not the communities where people are dying. Pharmaceutical sponsors were significantly less likely than academic institutions to fund trials in high-mortality counties.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Clinical trials are driving bladder cancer breakthroughs — from immunotherapy sequencing to bladder preservation — but patients can only benefit if trials are within reach. Expanding access through community oncology networks and regional partnerships could help close this critical gap.
