What is a clinical trial?

Cancer (or oncology) clinical trials are research studies in which cancer patients help find better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. Clinical trials can be another treatment option for cancer patients. Nearly all treatments we now have for cancer were discovered as a result of clinical trials. Clinical trials only include patients who choose to take part.

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What are the possible benefits of participating in a clinical trial?

The benefits for patients participating in a clinical trial may include:

• Access to the most recent treatments
• The hope for a cure for their condition
• The hope for a longer life
• The possibility of an improved quality of life
• Minimizing side effects of certain treatments
• Second opinions by the national research cancer doctors working on the studies
• Intense monitoring and follow-up of the disease and treatment
• Making an important contribution to the advancement of cancer treatments and knowledge

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Who can participate in a clinical trial?

Each study has specific requirements that patients must fit in order to participate in a clinical trial. Eligibility for a clinical trial may depend on the type or stage of cancer, as well as the patient’s general health status. Patients who are interested in clinical trials will be evaluated based on the requirements of the study to see if they are eligible.

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What are the different types of clinical trials?

There are many types of clinical trials. Your doctors, nurses, and clinical research team can help you decide what types of clinical trials may be right for you. Some types of clinical trials include:

• Prevention trials use new approaches to preventing cancer in people who have never had cancer or to prevent cancer from coming back. Many of these approaches use medicines, vitamins, minerals, or other supplements.
• Treatment trials test new cancer drugs, new combinations of drugs, new schedules of drugs, or new approaches to radiation therapy or surgery.
• Screening trials try to find the best way to find cancer, especially in the early stages when it is most curable.
• Symptom-control trials test new approaches, medicines, or supplements to manage or prevent some of the side-effects of standard cancer treatments.
• Quality-of-Life trials look at different ways to improve a patient’s comfort and overall quality of life throughout the course of treatment.

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What are the phases of clinical trials?

Phase I Trials: These initial studies look at how a drug should be given to patients (injection, by mouth, etc.).  They also look at what the correct dose is and how often a drug should be given, as well as the safety of a drug. These trials usually enroll only a small number of patients.

Phase II Trials: These studies further test the safety of the drug and how well it works. These studies usually focus on a specific type of disease ie. breast cancer.

Phase III Trials:  These trials will test a new drug, a combination of drugs, or a new approach to a standard procedure (radiation therapy or surgery, for example). These studies usually enroll a much larger number of patients than Phase I or II studies. Patients are usually randomly assigned (like flipping a coin) into a treatment group. Many Phase III studies are conducted nationwide and sometimes internationally.

Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI) – www.cancer.gov

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Related Services

» Breast care (Mary Lou Beshears Breast Care Center)
» Lung care (Lung Nodule Clinic)
» Integrative medicine & wellness
» Physical medicine & rehabilitation

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