The lag time in initiating clinical testing of new drugs in combination with radiation therapy, a significant barrier to progress?

Abstract

Clinical drug development with RT commences late in the life cycle of anti-cancer agents. Taking into account the additional time required for late-phase clinical trials, the delay in initiating clinical testing of drug-RT combinations discourages drug companies from further pursuing RT-based development. Encouragingly, lag time appears to be decreasing. Further reduction in lag time may accelerate RT-based drug development, potentially improving patient outcomes.