Most Breast Cancer Patients Receive Care in Community Sites

A new study reveals that 85 percent of advanced hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients are treated outside academic centers.

Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Cancer

Isometric editorial illustration showing a central tower surrounded by smaller medical buildings, symbolizing the distribution of cancer care. — A new study by Phesi indicates that 85 percent of advanced hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients currently receive care in community clinics. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should medical researchers move clinical trials into community clinics to increase patient access?

Data analyzed by Phesi shows that the vast majority of patients with advanced HR+/HER2- breast cancer receive care in community practice settings rather than academic hospitals. This highlights a significant shift in where patients are located for clinical trial recruitment.

Why it matters

Clinical development programs must adapt their research strategies to follow patients into community clinics to avoid slowing the delivery of new cancer treatments. Currently, low enrollment rates in community programs risk creating bottlenecks in medical advancement.

A 2024 analysis showed that community programs have a 4.1 percent trial enrollment rate, trailing the 7.1 percent average across all cancer types. Researchers studied 47,011 patients to establish these figures.

The players

Phesi

Phesi is a clinical development data company that operates the Trial Accelerator platform to analyze global healthcare trends.

The details

Phesi used its Trial Accelerator platform to aggregate data from 379 million patients across 232 countries to identify where specific cancer cohorts receive treatment. The findings demonstrate that while community hospitals treat most HR-positive patients, a higher proportion of triple-negative breast cancer patients are treated in academic institutions.

A US analysis of clinical trial enrollment rates was conducted in 2024.
Phesi released the study findings on October 26, 2026.

Health Landscape

This study challenges the historical reliance on academic centers for clinical trial recruitment by highlighting that the majority of target patients for breast cancer trials are now located in community settings. It forces a re-evaluation of how research infrastructure must bridge the gap between patient care and clinical development.

This shift suggests that future clinical trial opportunities may increasingly move away from specialized university hospitals and into local community clinics. Patients seeking access to experimental therapies should discuss potential community-based trial options with their local providers.

The takeaway

The concentration of patients in community settings requires drug developers to move their site-selection process closer to the patient to succeed. Focusing on regional hospitals could significantly improve enrollment rates and speed up the testing of new oncology treatments.