Clinical trials are an important part of cancer treatment. They help to find new ways to prevent and detect cancer. They also assist in finding new ways to treat cancer. As a result, a cancer patient can enjoy an improved quality of life during and after treatment.
Clinical trials are research studies that test new treatments on people. If the treatment is found to be safe and effective, it can be made widely available to cancer patients. Many new therapies have been found through these studies. As a result, patients are living longer. In addition, they often do not have uncomfortable side effects.
In a clinical trial, doctors collect information as the patient receives treatment. Each study has rules about who can and cannot participate. These rules apply to things such as age, sex or type of cancer.
The Three Phases of Clinical Trials
Phase I Clinical Trials: These trials help to find out if a new treatment is safe. They also determine if the cancer responds to the treatment. In addition, they can reveal the best way to give the new treatment.
Phase II Clinical Trials: These trials involve new drugs applied to different types of diseases. The goal is to find the areas of greatest effectiveness. During this phase, patients are monitored closely. This will uncover any unexpected or undesirable side effects.
Phase III Clinical Trials: These trials use drugs that have passed through earlier patient trials. The treatment is compared with standard treatments. Only treatments felt to be safe, effective and potentially superior to the standard are tested.
Patients selected to be in a clinical trial will typically be in only one phase of the study. Most insurance plans cover the cost of a clinical trial. They also cover the cost of standard cancer treatment. Thus, a clinical trial is usually no more expensive than standard cancer treatment.