Clinical Trials

CLINICAL TRIALS

Today nearly 10 million people are living with a cancer history. 1.5 million were diagnosed more than 20 years ago. This means people with cancer are living longer and with a better quality of life than ever before.

We are at a real turning point in the development of new cancer treatments.

Increasingly, doctors are able to target not only the cancer cell, but also the processes that support the tumor’s growth. In the past these were only hopes for the future and now they are reality.

Knowledge is power. Through educating yourself and learning about all your options including clinical trials….you can decide what is best for you. There is a lot of misconception about clinical trials. The reality is that you will receive at least the standard therapy. You will not be given sugar pills. Cancer patients and survivors should never stop seeking information and continuing their search for knowledge about cancer. If you have had cancer you can still keep in touch with all the new treatments that come out in case you have cancer again. And you can be sure in your life time a loved one will have cancer and you can be prepared to share your knowledge with them.

The next generation of progress is dependent upon clinical trials-the necessary link to improvements in our ability to prevent, detect, and treat cancer. Only patient participation in clinical trials will guarantee continued progress in the fight against cancer.

A drug is considered to be investigational if it is being tested in people, but has not yet been approved for marketing by the FDA by proving to be both safe and effective for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a defined disease or condition. A drug may be approved for certain diseases but has not, of yet, been approved for cancer treatment. In other words, it can already be prescribed for certain conditions but still needs to be monitored for cancer patients. That means clinical trials.

The choice of whether to enter a trail is up to you, and your medical team can help you weigh the options. No question about your care in unimportant. Here’s a guideline of questions to ask:

What is this trial trying to prove?
How do the potential benefits compare to other treatment options?
What are the trial’s tests and treatments?
How long will the trial last?
How will the trial and itspossible side effects affect my daily life?
Are there treatments to help alleviate side effects?
Will my insurance cover my costs?

In the area of pediatrics, where survival rates for childhood cancer are almost 80 %

Overall. This progress is directly linked to clinical trials, in which 70 % of children and adolescent cancer patients enroll. While enrollment for adults does not match that of children, but there is hope. Many adults don’t pay attention to their health has much as they do for their children and the children are seen earlier by a physician. Many adults put off going to the doctor and then put off treatment, which means it is harder to fight the cancer and takes longer. Children do what their parents tell them to do, yet adults

Have to deal with the facts of having cancer, and that usually doesn’t happen overnight.

Please go to:

www.CancerTrialsHelp.org

www,amgentrials.com

www.bms.com/clinical trials

www.pfizeroncology.com