The CFHCTF was designed for patients with cancer and HIV or AIDS, as well as their providers, friends, and family

Historically, PLWH have been excluded from cancer clinical trials based on HIV infection. However, PLWH live normal, healthy lives thanks to anti-retroviral therapy. It is inappropriate for clinical trials to exclude PLWH from clinical trials based on HIV infection alone. Many physicians and scientists are actively working to change this. Guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, FRIENDS of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, and Food and Drug Administration all recommend expanding eligibility criteria for cancer clinical trials to be more inclusive of PLWH. However, finding clinical trials that enroll PLWH can be challenging. The CFHCTF was specifically designed to address this issue. Clinical trials that list HIV or AIDS under exclusion criteria have been omitted from all results

According to the National Cancer Institute, eligibility criteria (also called inclusion criteria) are requirements that must be met for a person to participate in a clinical trial. Eligibility criteria include inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Inclusion criteria help make sure that participants in a trial are like each other in terms of specific factors such as age, type and stage of cancer, general health, and previous treatment.

Exclusion criteria are characteristics that disqualify potential clinical trial participants from enrolling in a clinical trial. Even if a patient meets all inclusion criteria, they will not be allowed to participate in a clinical trial if they meet any of the exclusion criteria. Exclusion criteria are generally used to protect patient's for whom the clinical trial may not be safe. They are also used to exclude patients who may not be able to meet all requirements of a study, or who are likely to have outcomes that are not representative of the normal population due to some other condition or factor

HIV infection is commonly used inappropriately as an exclusion criteria. Researchers may falsely believe that all PLWH are unhealthy, and that participating in a trial may be unsafe for them. Even if a person with HIV develops cancer, they may be otherwise healthy and could benefit from a clinical trial.

Experts now recommend the use of more specific eligibility criteria related to HIV. For instance, a person's HIV viral load, CD4+ count, or use of long term HIV therapy could all be used to more appropriately determine if a person with HIV is healthy enough to participate in a clinical trial. HIV infection alone is not a reason to disqualify PLWH from cancer clinical trials.

By default no, but filters can be applied to show only trials that list HIV infection in study inclusion criteria.

Unfortunately, many clinical trials do not list any information regarding HIV in eligibility criteria. To determine if these trials enroll PLWH, patients and providers should contact the site study contact, which is listed under Study Locations on the details page for each clinical trial.

If you wish to limit results to trials that list HIV or AIDS as allowable or required, click "specifically includes or requires HIV" and select "yes". The results page will now only list trials that enroll PLWH based on published eligibility criteria.

Cancer clinical trials that list HIV or AIDS under exclusion criteria are automatically omitted from all results.

Yes.

By default, the search tool returns clinical trials that are sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and AIDS Malignancy Consortium. Both groups are committed to improving cancer health outcomes in PLWH and expanding clinical trial access for PLWH. They actively study cancer in PLWH.

In order to view all clinical trial sponsors, select "show national trials" below the filter settings on your results page. To change back to the original default list, select "show partner trials"

If you wish to learn more about a clinical trial on the results page, click on the name of the trial you are interested in. Details for this specific trial will appear, including eligibility criteria and contact information. Scroll down to the "Study Locations" section to find the site study contact. Contact information for the site study contact will be listed here. Please reach out to the site study contact with any additional questions or enrollment interest.