Clinical research
The goal of clinical research is to develop more effective treatments for cancer. Clinical researchers try new combinations and doses of existing treatments to see if they work better than standard treatments (the ones that are already being used to treat patients).
Clinical researchers also use the information collected from translational research to develop new cancer treatments. Sometimes they might use this information to improve standard treatments as well.
Clinical research is carried out in hospitals and usually involves cancer patients. They take part in what is known as a clinical trial. The clinical trial tests a drug or medical procedure to see if it is a safe and beneficial treatment in one group of people and comparing it with standard treatment given to another group of people.
Many medicines and drugs work in laboratory tests. But they must be shown to be safe and effective for people before they can be approved by the regulatory authorities and given out by doctors.
There are four types of clinical trials:
Normally, a treatment must pass the first three phases before doctors are allowed to give it to patients routinely.
Enrolling into a clinical trial is voluntary. But for most trials, patients need a referral from their specialist or doctor. In most cases, patients will be invited to join a trial by their specialist. In a handful of trials, the patient will be invited by the trial co-ordinator.
To take part in a clinical trial, a person must satisfy a set of strict entry guidelines, known as eligibility criteria. This helps to select people for the study who are fit enough to have treatment. They also need to be as similar as possible, so the researchers can be sure any differences they see are due to the new treatment.
Eligibility criteria for each trial are different. Common eligibility criteria include:
- Type of cancer
- Stage of cancer
- Previous treatment
- Age
- Gender
- General health
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