Ten Things You Should Know

Ten Things You Should Know About Cancer Clinical Trials

(Provided by the National Cancer Institute)

1. Clinical studies are research trials that test new drugs and treatments on patients like you. Each study seeks to find better ways to prevent, diagnose, or treat cancer. See “What are Clinical Trials, and why are they important?”

2. In cancer research, a clinical trial is designed to test if a particular anti-cancer therapy (for example, a new chemotherapy drug) will be better than the treatments already available. See “How is a Clinical Trial planned and carried out?”

3. A Clinical Trial is one of the stages of a long and careful research process. See “How is a Clinical Trial planned and carried out?”

4. Patients can benefit from clinical trials. In treatment trials, for example, participants receive high quality cancer care and will be among the first to benefit if a new approach is proven to work. See “Should I take part in a Clinical Trial?”

5. Not everyone is eligible to participate in a Clinical Trial. Each study has a set of guidelines for who can participate. See “Should I take part in a Clinical Trial?”

6. There may be drawbacks to participating in a Clinical Trial. New treatments are not always found to be better than, or even as good as, existing treatments. There may also be unexpected side effects associated with the study treatment. To help understand the possible risks and benefits, a member of the research team will go over an Informed Consent with you prior to participating in a trial.  See “Should I take part in a Clinical Trial?”

7. In cancer treatment trials, placebos are rarely used. Patients are never given less than the “standard treatment” on an Oncology Clinical Trial. See “What are Clinical Trials, and why are they important?”

8. A lot of clinical trials compare new treatments with standard treatments. Often times, patients are randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups. See “Should I take part in a clinical trial?”

9. Health plans and managed care providers do not always cover all patient costs in a study. What they do cover varies by plan and by study. Work with your doctor and research team to find out what your insurance (or Medicare) will pay. See “Who pays for the costs of patient care on Clinical Trials?”

10. Clinical trials are taking place all over the country. They can be conducted in cancer centers, hospitals, clinics, physician’s offices, or veteran hospitals. Trials are run in many cities across the United States. MVCC helps to bring cancer trials to the Greater Omaha/Lincoln areas. See “About US”.