Introduction

The African American (AA) population has a higher incidence and mortality rate for acute leukemia, chronic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma than the non-Hispanic White population and other racial and ethnic minority groups.1-5 Despite great progress in cancer management and our understanding of factors that contribute to racial and/or ethnic disparities in cancer incidence, sparse literature addresses the underrepresentation and willingness to participate in clinical trials among AA patients with these specific hematologic malignancies. In sharp contrast, a growing body of literature references the willingness to participate and cites the many barriers to enrollment in clinical trials among the AA population with solid tumors.

Underrepresentation in clinical trials leads to the nongeneralizability of clinical trial findings, disparities in cancer treatment outcomes and survival compared to other racial and ethnic minority populations, and the absence of predictive biomarkers to identify responders to...