You’ve received a diagnosis of cancer, and you obviously want the best possible cancer treatment. You’ve heard about cutting-edge treatments available in some clinical trials for cancer patients, but you don’t want to take risks with your health. Should you look for cancer clinical trials to participate in?
Before you can make your decision, it's important to be informed about clinical trials for cancer and how they can benefit patients who are searching for the best cancer treatment.
Cancer Clinical Trials: The Objectives
Before a new drug, procedure, or other cancer treatment can be made available to the general public, it must undergo thorough research and study in clinical trials. Clinical trials help to determine if a cancer treatment (or any type of treatment) is both safe and effective enough to be used.
There are clinical trials to study the effects of procedures, medications, and other treatments, as well as clinical trials investigating ways to prevent cancer and detect it earlier. Some clinical trials study the quality of life for cancer patients, while others look for earlier and better ways to diagnose cancer.
Cancer Clinical Trials: Concerns
Although many of the medications and treatments tested in cancer clinical trials are new and the effectiveness and side effects are unknown, other clinical trials offer drugs, procedures, or other treatments that have already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for one illness or type of cancer and are now perhaps being studied for a different cancer or to be given in a different way.
There are drawbacks to being part of a clinical trial, including the risk or possibility of:
- Unknown side effects
- Ineffective cancer treatment
- Traveling for treatment and frequent doctor's visits
All clinical trials must be carefully planned and evaluated by a review board before they can begin. Many procedures and rules must be followed during the clinical trial to minimize health and safety risks to participants. Any treatment or medication studied in a clinical trial must also go through extensive testing and research, usually including animal studies, before it is studied in humans. Clinical trials themselves are done in phases:
- Phase 1 is done with only a few patients to test the safety of the treatment.
- Phase 2 is done with a larger number of people to confirm safety and determine dosage.
- Phase 3 is done with many patients to confirm a treatment’s effectiveness.
Cancer Clinical Trials: How They Can Help
For people with a difficult cancer diagnosis, a clinical trial can offer many benefits. Some to consider include:
- Receiving financial coverage for all or a portion of your cancer treatment
- Receiving greater care and attention throughout your illness, treatment, and recovery
- Receiving newer, cutting-edge treatment that could be more effective and safer than cancer treatments currently available
- Helping to advance cancer treatments
Cancer Clinical Trials: Finding One
After you weigh the pros and cons of participating in a clinical trial and decide to go ahead, you’ll need to find one that works for you. Start by asking your doctor if he knows of any clinical trials that would be appropriate for your type of cancer. You can also reach out to organizations that organize, fund, find participants for, and run clinical trials, such as:
You're the only one who can decide if it makes sense for you to participate in a clinical trial. You must be comfortable with your decision and what the trial involves. Although these studies are voluntary, you need to be informed before you commit to participating.