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Commission on Cancer.
What are Clinical Trials?
Clinical trials are research studies involving people. They start only after a new treatment has been carefully studied in the laboratory. Clinical trials try to answer specific questions about new and better ways to help prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases. Some trials study new anti-cancer drugs, while others look at new ways to use current drugs or other forms of treatment. Most of today's treatments for cancer are based on the results of earlier clinical trials.
Why Should People Participate?
People choose to enter clinical trials for different reasons. Clinical trials have both benefits and risks; they are not the right option for everyone.
Participants will receive, at a minimum, the best standard treatment.
- If the new treatment or intervention is proven to work, participants may be among the first to benefit.
- Participants have a chance to help others and improve cancer care.
New approaches may have side effects or risks that are unknown.
- Even if a new treatment under study has benefits, it may not work for every participant.
- Participants may have to pay for the costs of travel, childcare, lost work hours, and meals.
The ultimate purpose of a clinical trial is to answer a medical question. People who take part in clinical trials are research participants and may be required to do certain things or have certain tests done to stay in the study. Despite the possible risks, participants in clinical trials receive excellent, compassionate care. In fact, most people enrolled in clinical trials appreciate the extra attention they receive from their health care team.
Today, many safeguards are in place for people who join cancer trials to help ensure that they are run in an ethical manner. Participant rights and safety are protected through informed consent and review panels.
Informed consent is an ongoing process in which people learn important information about a clinical trial to help them decide whether to participate. A scientific review panel and an institutional review board must approve the clinical trial before it can begin.
What About Cost?
This is a crucial question to ask before deciding to take part in a clinical trial. Recent studies have shown that the costs of taking part in a clinical trial are not much higher than the costs of treatment outside of a study. Insurance coverage can vary widely; check with your health insurance company prior to participating in a clinical trial.
Lists of Clinical Trials
At this time there is no single place to get information on all of the government and privately sponsored clinical trials now enrolling patients. However, there are several resources you should be aware of:
- The American Cancer Society's Website at www.cancer.org provides a matching service through Emerging Med, which matches cancer patients to appropriate clinical trials by answering a few questions. The ACS Website can also locate the closest National Cancer Institute designated center where many clinical trials are conducted.
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsors the majority of government-funded cancer clinical trials. The NCI maintains a database of active studies (those enrolling patients), as well as some privately funded studies. A list of current clinical trials can be obtained by calling the NCI's Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER or visiting the NCI Website at www.cancer.gov.
- Cancer Trials Support Unit (CTSU) makes clinical trials available to doctors and patients in the United States and Canada. CTSU members can enroll patients in clinical trials through the program's Website, which is located at www.ctsu.org. General information about the CTSU is also available on the program's Website, or by calling 1-888-823-5923.
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) maintains a large database of clinical trials at www.clinicaltrials.gov, but not all of these trials are cancer-specific.
- The Coalition of National Cancer Cooperative Groups (CNCCG) provides a list of cancer studies being conducted at member institutions on their Website at www.cancertrialshelp.org.
- Major cancer centers (and some community hospitals and doctor's offices) usually offer lists on their Websites of the clinical trials being conducted there.
- Private companies, such as pharmaceutical or biotechnology firms, may list the studies they are sponsoring on their Websites. This can be helpful if you are interested in research on a particular experimental treatment and know the company developing it.
Information provided by the American Cancer Society, © 2005.
National Clinical Trials at Greene Memorial Hospital
As further evidence of its highly regarded status within the medical community, the Ruth G. McMillan Cancer Center is a participant in many national clinical trials and protocols. Greene Memorial Hospital Research Protocol RN's: Cristy Morgan-Back, RN, OCN 937-352-2303