Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are conducted on all new therapies and drugs before the FDA approves them for use by the general public. Many medications and treatments that are now the standard of care for certain diseases have gone through a lengthy period of testing with clinical trials. These carefully controlled studies are always in need of patients willing to try the experimental treatments. Many patients with aggressive illnesses or those with no known cure willingly participate in a clinical trial as a last hope. Patients should ask their doctors about currently available clinical trials to determine whether they might qualify to participate in a particular study. Those choosing to take part in a clinical trial should carefully weigh the risks and benefits before agreeing to participate.
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A clinical trial has three stages. Phase I trials involve just a limited number of people. They generally focus on a drug’s correct dosage and relative safety. Phase II trials enlist more people and concentrate on whether the new drug is effective in fighting a particular illness. Phase III is the final phase of a clinical trial in which the new medication is compared against any existing treatment to determine whether the new treatment is more effective than the old.
Enrolling in a Clinical Trial
Many factors should be considered when deciding whether to take part in a clinical trial. Such trials usually are held in large metropolitan hospitals. Patients need to know how often they must see the physicians coordinating the trials and how much time each visit will take, since travel expenses can be quite costly.
Often, it is difficult to qualify for a clinical trial. To gain the most information possible from a clinical trial, the trial coordinator will place strict controls on the group of qualified patients. In some clinical trials, a patient must have already had unsuccessful traditional treatment. Other clinical trials only enroll patients who have not yet undergone any treatment for mesothelioma.
A patient’s general health will also affect qualification. Mesothelioma patients with other medical conditions and those taking drugs for other illnesses will likely be excluded from clinical trials. By studying only patients who are being treated for one disease with one therapy, researchers are given a more accurate assessment of the effectiveness of the experimental mesothelioma treatment.
Patients must also consider that participation in a clinical trial requires the relinquishment of control over medical treatment. For example, some clinical trials are referred to as randomized studies. In such trials, one group of patients receives the traditional treatment while another group is given the new experimental treatment. But the patients do not select which treatment they receive, nor are they told which treatment is being administered. A patient’s participation in a clinical trial is not a guarantee that the patient will receive anything other than the traditional therapy.
Still, there are enormous benefits associated with clinical trials. Without them, it would be very difficult to test the effectiveness of new medications. And clinical trials offer participants thorough and high quality health care. Meticulous records are kept and extensive testing is performed on each patient to gauge a new treatment’s effectiveness and safety. Clinical trials for mesothelioma are a critical part of finding a cure.
Ongoing Mesothelioma Clinical Trials
A variety of resources on the Internet discuss ongoing clinical trials for mesothelioma and include the qualifications for each trial. Patients interested in taking part in a clinical trial should consult their doctor. Physicians specializing in mesothelioma are kept abreast of all upcoming and current clinical trials, and are able to determine whether a patient qualifies for a particular trial. Large regional cancer centers also have access to current information on clinical trials that are coordinated through the regional hospitals.
Some of clinical trials are reportedly still recruiting participants; some are actively testing new treatments but are not currently seeking participants. Others have already been completed and may provide helpful information to physicians following the development of new mesothelioma treatments. More information about these trials and other clinical trials can be located on the Internet at the National Institute of Health’s Database of Clinical Trials, from which we have collected the information provided on this site. Again, patients should consult their doctors to determine whether a particular trial is available to them.
Locate a specific clinical trial:
- Active clinical trials, no longer recruiting
- Clinical trials not yet recruiting
- Clinical trials recruiting participants
- Recently completed clinical trials
Additionally, the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups’ website provides information about clinical trials for cancer patients. See related article.