Clinical Trials for Cancer

Clinical trials for cancer are having a hard time getting enough patients to sign up. These research studies are used to test new surgical technique, drugs, and radiation treatments. Their goal is to find better methods for treating cancer.

Their methods are still experimental, however. This means that there's no guarantee the techniques used in a clinical trial are going to work for you.

People also worry that they won't be eligible for a trial. It's necessary to meet certain criteria to enroll in a colon cancer clinical trial, or any other kind of trial for cancer treatment. These can be very specific. That's because only people with certain characteristics can be used to test the new medicine or technique.

Is A Clinical Trial Right For Me?

A colon cancer clinical trial might be the right choice if you feel that the current treatment options aren't likely to help you. This type of research study could open up new doors and help you conquer your cancer. It might even help you beat cancer that has a poor prognosis with conventional treatment.

However, you have to think carefully before enrolling. Experimental medicine and techniques could have unexpected side effects. They may also not work the way you'd expect.

Different types of clinical trials have different risks and different chances of success. Make sure you talk to your doctor about any trials you might be involved in. He can answer all your questions and will be able to give you advice about whether or not you should participate in a clinical trial. Remember that you don't have to participate just because a trial has been offered.

If you do want to participate in a trial, you'll need to make sure that you fit all the right criteria for it. If you are denied a chance to participate, it's because the trial was full, or your details didn't match up, not because you did something wrong.

Phases Of Clinical Trials

One thing to pay attention to is the phase that the trial is in.

1. Phase I clinical trials for cancer are significantly different than Phase II and Phase III trials. Phase I trials are the first step, and usually use a limited number of patients who are healthy just to see if the treatment will make them sick. They're hoping to find out the best way to give a new treatment and the safest method of offering it.
2. A Phase II clinical trial is the next step. These trials focus on finding out whether or not a new treatment will affect a specific kind of cancer, such as colon cancer. They're also intended to discover if the treatment has any side effects we don't know about yet.
   
   Once again, the number of participants allowed is fairly small. There are a number of risks still involved because this may be the first time the treatment is tried on people with colon cancer.
3. Phase III clinical trials for cancer compare the results when participants take the experimental treatment with the results of people using the standard treatment. This kind of trial is trying to find out which treatment is the most effective, with the fewest side effects. If you volunteer for this kind of trial, you will randomly be assigned to either the new or standard treatment. This keeps outside factors from influencing the outcome.
4. Phase IV trials are conducted after the treatment is approved, and are mostly about the details. They let the drug company learn more about how the drug or treatment works, or about side effects.

Important Facts About Clinical Trials

Some people are afraid that if they participate in a clinical cancer trial, they will be denied treatment as part of a control group. This usually doesn't happen. Placebos (drugs that don't contain any medicine) are used only when there is no normal treatment for your cancer. If this is the case, you will be told that this is a possibility when you sign up. That means that you can opt out before you get involved in the trial.

The goal of clinical trials is to make people better, not worse.

There are specific rules that any company has to follow when conducting a clinical trial. These are regulated by law. Even if the trial is focusing on an alternative cancer treatment, the company or hospital has to follow these rules to the letter.

Signing a consent form doesn't mean you have to stick with the study, either. You can leave a study at any time if you no longer want to be involved with the trial. Your care won't be affected, and you'll have the chance to talk to your doctor about treatment options.

Written by Grace Palmer - 8/31/09

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