May is National Cancer Research Month, and clinical trials are an essential part of cancer research. But what are clinical trials and how will you know if one is right for you?
Clinical trials are research studies that test new therapies to learn about their effects. Many medications we have today, such as chemotherapy and vaccines, would not exist without clinical trials.
At Luminis Health, doctors will offer eligible cancer patients the option of participating in a clinical trial. If a patient is interested, they will meet with a clinical research nurse or coordinator to review the purpose of the study, schedule of treatments, and learn about potential risks and benefits. Here are a few questions you should ask before agreeing to take part in a trial:
- What are the risks and benefits of the trial, and how do they compare to standard treatment?
- How will the doctor know if the treatment is working?
- What is the purpose of the trial?
- How could the trial affect my daily life?
- What happens if I decide to leave the trial?
- Is there someone I can talk to who has been in the trial?
Your doctor and the research team can answer these questions and help you make a decision. If you choose to enroll, the doctor will closely monitor your treatment throughout the trial. If you change your mind about the trial, you can leave at any time and continue to get the standard care available.
Participating in a clinical trial can benefit you because it could mean access to new therapies that aren’t widely available yet. It also benefits the community because the research will help others in the future.
“The idea that my participation in the trial could contribute to future improvements in breast cancer treatment was an important consideration to me,” says Maria Ulrich, a Luminis Health patient who recently participated in a trial. “Undergoing cancer treatment is a very difficult experience and any improvement in lessening its hard effects is a very worthwhile goal.”
Luminis Health has ongoing clinical trials for breast, prostate, lung, ovarian, endometrial and hematologic cancers. Eligibility depends on many factors, such as:
- Age
- Race
- Gender
- Stage of cancer
- History of treatments
- Medical history
If you are a cancer patient and have interest in participating in a clinical trial, talk to your doctor. Your provider can find out which ones would be safe for you and potentially beneficial, and will work with the research team to coordinate your care. There is never any pressure to join.
If you are interested in participating in clinical trials but you don’t have cancer, there are many other clinical trials available. In fact, having data from healthy volunteers is a critical part of creating a comparison study. To join the Clinical Research Volunteer Program, please visit the National Institutes of Health website.
To learn more, please visit Luminis.Health/CancerCare or call 443-481-1320.
