Cancer awareness blogs

Clinical trials

By Jaime
July 2, 2010

The survival rates for pediatric cancers have risen dramatically in the past few decades, more than any other age group, largely due to information gathered from clinical trials. Even today, about half of children with cancer participate in clinical trials, but only about three percent of adults are in clinical trials, according to curetoday.com. Is it because of patient wariness of new drugs or treatments? Access to trials? Ineligibility of patients? Think again.

Studies have shown that many adult patients don’t participate in cancer clinical trials because their oncologists never mention the topic. Some oncologists may be unaware of clinical trials that are available, and some simply do not want the added paperwork and time involved in participating in a trial. Or they may have to refer their patient out to a different, comprehensive cancer center; or a colleague, says curetoday.com. Given today’s economy, doctors – oncologists included – want to keep the patients they have. Patients’ insurance policies may not pay for experimental treatments, which is another barrier to participation in trials.

But all this aside, when people hear “clinical trial,” they typically think they’re at the end of the rope, that the only thing left is experimental treatment. This isn’t necessarily the case. Extremely sick patients are usually not eligible for many trials, so the healthier the patient, the more benefit they may receive. Patients can leave a trial at any time, with no repercussions to their cancer care, and these studies are monitored very closely for any adverse effects.

If you are interested in learning more about clinical trials, your eligibility to participate, and the risks and benefits to you, ask your doctor. If she doesn’t know of any, search for yourself – the National Cancer Institute has a database of clinical trials presently going on, searchable by state and type of cancer. Ask your doctor why she hasn’t mentioned this option to you. Find out if the cancer center from which you receive care participates in large, multi-institutional studies, and which doctors are the investigators. It could make all the difference.

Have a thought to share with our bloggers?

Leave a comment below!

Previous entry: A Vaccine for breast cancer?