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Clinical trials are used to research new ways of treating people with cancer. After a new medicine goes through many tests — both in the lab and on animals — it is tested on people with cancer who volunteer to take part in a clinical trial. The trial helps doctors decide whether a medicine is safe and effective. It also helps determine the correct dosages that patients should receive.
Cancer trials are run differently than some other clinical trials. In other types of trials, patients taking new medicines are compared with patients who receive no medicine at all (called a placebo or "sugar pill"). It would not be ethical for doctors to give people with cancer a sugar pill containing no medicine. So, cancer trials compare patients receiving a current medicine with patients receiving the new medicine. Doctors hope that the trial will reveal that the new medicine works better than the current one.
There are some advantages to taking part in a clinical trial. Patients who do may receive the newest and best medicines available. Also, patients are monitored very closely throughout the trial, so their overall health often benefits. Finally, patients who take part in a clinical trial may not have to pay for the medicine they receive. The company or organization that sponsors the trial will usually provide the medicine at no charge, and will pay for extra testing and doctor visits.
Clinical trials also come with some risks. The medicines you may receive in a clinical trial usually have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The medicine may have unwanted side effects, or it may not work as well as doctors hope it will. You may have to commit more time to your treatment if you take part in a clinical trial, and you may have to have more frequent tests.
If you think you might want to take part in a clinical trial, talk to your family doctor. He or she can tell you about the possible benefits and risks and can help you look for a trial. You may also want to check the National Cancer Institute's Web site (see "Other Organizations") for more information and a searchable list of clinical trials.
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/cancer/treatment/721.html
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Robotic Prostatectomy
