Observational Clinical Trial
Interventional Clinical Trial
Description
In observational or non-interventional trials, a patient’s clinical data or tumor samples support laboratory research for biological discovery; these trials do not change the patient’s treatment course.
Interventional trials tend to be more widely known by cancer patients, as they have been popularized for testing the safety, dosing, and efficacy of new therapies.
Patient Involvement
Donation of blood samples, tumor biopsy samples, imaging data, or laboratory studies
Enrollment in a study where a new drug or treatment is being tested
Examples of Study Goals
Study the biology of cancer cells within patients’ biopsy specimens
Determine the safety and effectiveness of a new drug or drug combination
Use patient data to predict future cancer reoccurrence or disease progression
Determine optimal drug doses
Develop new methods of detecting or tracking cancer progression
Study new, advanced surgical methods
Discovery of BRCA genes in breast cancer
Use of immunotherapy drugs for metastatic cancers
Use of CEA and CA 19-9 labs for predicting colon cancer progression Development of PET scans for cancer monitoring
Replacing chemotherapy with new targeted therapies with fewer side effects
Examples of Previous Research Findings
The magazine for women affected by cancer
Study and minimize drug side effects
Study alternative radiation methods and dosing
Advancing immune cell replacement therapy
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