How is being in a clinical trial different from getting regular treatment?

In many ways, being in a clinical trial is similar to receiving standard treatment.  There are regular visits, blood tests, scans, and a cancer drug – or several – are given on a set schedule.  Side effects are monitored and adjustments are made to minimize them.  There are some differences.  As much as cancer treatment programs tend to be fairly rigid and structured, clinical trials are even more so.  Everything that happens follows a precise recipe.  There may be additional tests or surveys to fill out that would not be a part of standard care.  Some of these may include much more extensive monitoring – for example serial blood draws to measure drug levels in detail during a 24 or 48 hour period.  It is also likely that less is known about the drug or drug regimen that is being tested than standard care.  Outcomes in cancer treatment are never certain, but participating in a clinical trial involves a greater degree of the unknown.  

For more questions and answers about clinical trials, visit the Talk about Health website.
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

What do Clinical Trial Participants Really Want?

As you probably know by now there are many reasons for conducting clinical trials—trying out new drugs, exploring new drug combinations, testing drug safety, testing drug effectiveness, identifying and managing side effects, and many more.

But for most participants in clinical trials the main reason for volunteering is much simpler—the hope of longer and better survival. Cures are rare, but if a particular new drug or treatment makes you feel better and possibly live longer (and the ever-present side effects are tolerable) none of the overall statistics, percentages, comparisons, or dosage debates matter very much. Different treatments have different effects on different people. So what works for you may not work as well for me. Having more available treatments allows for individual differences.

Just having cancer already makes you a survivor. Surviving better and longer is the personal gold standard—however that happens for you. With the help of your medical team, support group, a good computer, and your own personal motivation, look for trials that you strongly believe may provide a particular benefit to you. The final decisions are always up to you.

The majority of trial participants report that they would volunteer for another trial if it was relevant to their needs.

To put a smile on your face see Larry's latest cartoon


(c) 2012 Tom Beer and Larry Axmaker