 | | Harmon Eyre, MD | Chief Medical Officer &
Executive Vice President
for Research and
Cancer Control, The
American Cancer Society |
When making decisions about your method of cancer treatment, it is important to know all of your options. One of those options may be a cancer clinical trial. Clinical trials are human research studies designed to determine if a promising new therapy, which has already undergone extensive laboratory research, is better than the current treatment available.
Clinical trials, conducted in three phases, are the key to discovering more precise methods of treatment, which not only may increase rates of survival, but may also enhance quality of life for cancer patients. Such trials have lead to advances in the treatment of many types of cancer. Unfortunately, very few people participate in clinical trials. This, in large part, is due to negative publicity and overall misunderstanding surrounding clinical trials, or because patients do not even know that clinical trials are an option for treatment.
There was a time when human research studies often resulted in "experiments gone bad," but today, there are many safeguards built in to protect patients. Before a new treatment moves to the trials phase, it must first be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In addition, every hospital or cancer center conducting a clinical trial must have an Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is composed of independent doctors, patients and community members who look for any risk or bias there may be. Study participants are also required to complete an Informed Consent Agreement, which spells out the possible risks and side effects of the treatment. An even greater protection is that patients are able to leave a trial at any time and for any reason.
It is important to remember that clinical trials are experimental and, like any treatment, always involve some level of risk. Also, clinical trials are not right for everyone, and are not available for all types of cancer. The cost of trials can be very high, and although efforts are being made to increase insurance coverage, some insurance policies do not cover clinical trials. However, some trials are funded by large pharmaceutical companies that absorb most of the cost, making them even less expensive than standard care.
To find out about a possible clinical trial for you, the obvious place to start is your oncologist. If he/she does not know of a clinical trial, there are many resources available. The Cancer Information Service (CIS; 800-4-CANCER), a program supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), can provide the names and numbers of clinical trial centers in your area. For other listings of clinical trials, you may contact the NCI thru their web site, www.nci.nih.gov. Their site also provides extensive information on clinical trials, designed to help you in the decision-making process, including a list of questions that you should ask before participating in a trial. Another valuable resource is EmergingMed 1-877-601-8601 or www.emergingmed.com. Of course, you can always find information through the American Cancer Society 1-800-ACS-2345 or www.cancer.org.
The bottom line about clinical trials, or any treatment option, is that you need to begin your cancer treatment with as much knowledge as possible. Ask questions of your oncologist; do your own research; make your own phone calls. You can be an active participant in deciding what treatment is best for you.
Para solicitar información en español, llame al 1-800-ACS-2345. Un especialista en información sobre el cáncer le asistirá en español. f/W 2002 Updated 9/1/2004 |
