Clinical trials are crucial for the development of effective prevention, diagnostic and treatment methods for cancer and other diseases. While participation in cancer clinical trials is generally low overall (around three percent for adults), minorities and underserved communities, especially African Americans and those living in rural areas, are particularly under-represented. Because access to cutting edge advances and state-of-the art care that clinical trials provide is not always available to people in those communities, these inequities in participation contribute to ongoing health disparities.

Since sequencing of the human genome was completed in 2001, scientists have found that people are more alike than they are different. However, certain genetic factors, like susceptibility to disease, can vary from one population to another. This month, BenchMarks discusses how inherent genomic variations can provide new insight into the genetic underpinnings of cancer.