Clinical Trials

By Sophie Wix BA, MPhil and Jennifer Gill MD, PhD

In the last decade, an explosion of new cancer drugs has occurred, and patients have more treatment options than ever before. This feat would not have been possible without the dedication and cooperation of scientists, clinicians, and patients through clinical trials. Currently there are more than 10,000 active clinical trials in the US that are related to cancer. This guide will help explain what kinds of clinical trials exist, how to find them, and considerations for determining whether enrollment might be right for you or a loved one.

What is a clinical trial?

Clinical trials refer to any type of research conducted with patient samples or data to advance our understanding of a disease. There are two main types of clinical trials as described further in the chart: observational and interventional.

As the name suggests, “observational” trials consist of observing and studying cancer patients through the normal course and treatment of their disease. Sometimes this means involvement from patients in the form of surveys, bloodwork, donating cancer tissue, or extra clinic visits. Through these types of trials, patients help physicians and scientists learn about cancer with the goal of advancing the field.

“Interventional” trials are those in which patients receive a specific intervention (for example, a new treatment or type of surgery). While some of these trials are done to determine how effective a new therapy works, others may also test drug safety or dosing. Before these trials begin, extensive “pre-clinical” studies are done in the laboratory. Only the most promising strategies are taken into patients. Interventional trials are designed to protect the patient as much as possible with the goal that participant outcomes will be at least as good as the current standard and hopefully better.

Description