Clinical trials in urological oncology: COVID-19 and the potential need for a new perspective.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the suspension, termination or alteration of thousands of clinical trials as the health emergency escalated globally. Whilst the rapid suspension of certain clinical trials was necessary to ensure the safety of high-risk or vulnerable trial participants as well as healthcare workers, the long-term ramifications that this delay will have on the field of urologic oncology is unknown.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to plan for and implement new strategies to advance our understanding of unmet areas of need in urologic oncology. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the suspension, termination or alteration of thousands of clinical trials as the health emergency escalated globally. Whilst the rapid suspension of certain clinical trials was necessary to ensure the safety of high-risk or vulnerable trial participants as well as healthcare workers, the long-term ramifications that this delay will have on the field of urologic oncology is unknown. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to plan for and implement new strategies to advance our understanding of unmet areas of need in urologic oncology.

World journal of urology. 2020 Sep 04 [Epub ahead of print]

Jiasian Teh, Ellen O'Connor, Jasamine Coles-Black, Nathan Lawrentschuk

Division of Cancer Surgery, Peter MacCallum Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. ., Division of Cancer Surgery, Peter MacCallum Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia., Department of Surgery, Austin Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

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