Clinical trials for cancer not only help future generations of cancer patients; they also can help an individual patient receive the latest and most effective treatment. Many trials are available throughout the United States.
Different Kinds of Cancer Trials
Three kinds of clinical trials for cancer are available:
Prevention trials test cancer preventative measures such as medications, alternative medicine or lifestyle changes. Healthy volunteers are given treatment or placebo and are monitored over several years to determine if the treatments prevent cancer.
Cancer control trials study medications aimed at reducing side effects of cancer treatment or unpleasant symptoms of cancer. Participants in these studies receive either treatment or placebo.
Treatment trials test new drugs, new combinations or new timetables for treatment. Volunteers in these studies always receive treatment, explained Dr. Al Linderman, president of the Lincoln Medical Education Partnership. “They’re either getting conventional therapy, or they’re getting conventional therapy plus additional treatment,” he said. “Many of them are drugs that are already on the market, but you may be getting a different cocktail, different mixture, different strength, or different way to get them.”
How a Cancer Treatment Trial Works
A cancer patient must qualify for a trial based on the type of cancer, risk factor for recurrence, or other factors. Patients in a treatment study are usually placed in either a control group, where they receive conventional therapy only, or a research group, where they receive conventional therapy plus experimental treatment. The organization sponsoring the study pays for any costs of treatment. A trial may last from six months to several years, but patients are usually followed long term after the study is finished.
Benefits of Cancer Studies
It’s natural for a cancer patient to be concerned, said Dr. Dr. Mark Hutchins, oncologist at Nebraska Hematology-Oncology, who offers clinical trials to his patients. “I think in general all of us, when we’re confronted with a fearful diagnosis, we want the assurance that we’re going to get the best outcome possible,” he said. But in all reality, many unknowns remain when it comes to cancer treatment, and often the experimental treatment is the best option for a patient. “Studies show that if you’re involved in a clinical research trial, you get at least the best treatment we have available, and the experimental arm may be better,” he said.
Many of these treatments are extremely expensive and would not be covered by medical insurance, but patients who participate in a study do not have to pay for the medication.
Participation in a clinical trial is entirely voluntary. Patients may withdraw from the study at any time. Strict monitoring committees watch over the results, and the trial is discontinued if excess toxicity or side effects are discovered.
In addition to the personal benefits, a clinical trial helps others. “A lot of people enter prevention trials from a selfless standpoint,” said Dr. Linderman. “They want to try and make a difference. Maybe they had a family member who had a malignancy, and their goal is to say, ‘What can I do to help?’ Everything we have today when we go to the doctor is because somebody else was participating in a trial or a study before them.”
Recent Results of Cancer Research Studies
Two recent studies have had a significant impact on the way physicians treat cancer, said Dr. Hutchins. A breast cancer trial, initially published in 2005, tested conventional chemotherapy versus chemotherapy plus the drug Receptin in the immediate post-operative phase. This study found that the addition of Receptin significantly improved the outcome. Another study followed nearly 3000 colon cancer patients and determined that the addition of Evastin did not reduce their risk of relapse. Although one study had a positive result and one had a negative result, both were beneficial in the future treatment of cancer.
It’s usually not necessary to travel far from home to participate in a clinical trial. For information on clinical trials in your area, contact the nearest Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP). A listing is found on the National Cancer Institute website.
Read a breast cancer survivor's story: Seeking Cancer Treatment – Options, Coping, Clinical Trials
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