Why don’t THEY (people with cancer) join a clinical trial?

 …so I can get cured

I’m sure (pretty sure) that everyone with cancer wants to be cured. Or at the very least to have their cancer stopped from growing. I sure do.

At the same time, the vast majority of adults with cancer do not to participate in clinical trials—the way new drugs are tested and ultimately approved and made available to you and me.

What’s wrong with this picture? We seem to live in a culture of “let somebody else do it.”

·        If only the government would…

·        THEY should improve education…

·        My doctor should make me feel better…

In the realm of cancer clinical trials, having cancer is usually a prerequisite to participation. There are 12 million of us in the U.S. living with cancer. Yet, many clinical trials are delayed or are never even started because not enough of THEM (people with cancer) volunteer to participate.

Not everyone with cancer is a good candidate for a clinical trial. But many thousands who might be good candidates never hear about clinical trials or may not seriously consider the possibility of volunteering. Fortunately, many thousands do volunteer and many trials are successfully completed.

Where do you stand? Could there be a clinical trial in your future? Should there be?

To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon.
To learn more about clinical trials, take a look at our book.
(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker