Clinical trials
Research studies can offer hope — for you and for people with cancer in the future.
Cancer research is among the most
dynamic fields of scientific investigation,
as the quest for more effective
treatment continues. For example, as
many as 400 new trial-ready drugs are
tested clinically every year — though
from among the thousands of new
drugs that are developed, most fail in
laboratory and pre-clinical testing.
Every one of these drugs must pass a
long and rigorous series of clinical
trials in order to be proven safe,
effective, and ready for broader use.
Joining a study
Everyone who participates in a clinical
trial volunteers to do so. Many people
feel empowered by enrolling — both
because they hope to benefit from the
newest advances in treatment, and
because they believe they’re helping to
develop new treatments that will benefit
people in the future. Sometimes,
clinical trials can provide hope when
all other approaches have failed.
But it’s important to remember
that with any trial, the outcome is
unknown. Researchers can’t predict
the risks and potential side effects
of the treatment. There’s no way to
know whether or not a new therapy
will work for you even if it works
for others in the group. And, if you
participate in a randomized trial, it’s
possible that you will receive only
the standard therapy and not the
standard therapy in addition to the
new therapy. However, the standard
therapy will always be the one that
is the most widely used and that
the medical community considers
the best currently available for your
diagnosis. And you will never receive
a placebo — or inactive substance —
instead of conventional drugs
or treatment.
Whether you should join a clinical
trial is a difficult decision, usually
without clear-cut answers. If you find
a trial that interests you, it is crucial
to discuss it with your doctor, your
family, and trusted friends. Also, you
should contact both your insurance
company and the organization running
the trial to find out who will
cover your expenses.
While many insurance companies
won’t pay for experimental therapies,
the sponsoring institution will often
cover your treatment costs.
Finding clinical trials
Some clinical trials are sponsored by governmental organizations like the National Cancer Institute, and others are sponsored by pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies. There are a number of Web-based sources of information:
- At the American Cancer Society website, www.cancer.org, you can use the EmergingMed matching service to find studies for which
you’re eligible. The matching system chooses from a regularly updated list of all known government-funded clinical trials, as well as those funded by private pharmaceutical or biotechnical companies, and provides up-to-date contact information for each study. You can also access the matching system by calling 800-303-5691 toll-free.
- The National Cancer Institute has a database of all active government-funded, and some privately funded trials at their clinical trials website:
www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials.
- Most research hospitals and individual drug companies have web listings of trials, so you can find out more about privately funded studies.