Clinical Trials

A clinical trial or research study offers patient volunteers the chance to help answer specific health questions. Clinical trials are the quickest and safest way to find useful new medical treatments. There are many different kinds of clinical trials, including treatment trials, prevention trials, diagnostic trials, screening trials, quality of life trials, and genetic research trials.

Types of Clinical Trials
Participating in a Clinical Trial
New Jersey Cancer Trial Connect

TYPES OF CLINICAL TRIALS

Treatment trials test new treatments, surgeries, or therapies. A prevention trial looks for better ways to prevent disease in healthy individuals, which may involve vitamins, lifestyle changes (i.e. exercise), medicines, minerals, vaccines, or devices. Diagnostic trials explore new options for the diagnosis of a particular disease or condition. Screening trials try to determine the best way to detect a certain disease or condition. Quality of life trials (or supportive care trials) examine ways to improve the comfort and care of individuals with a chronic illness. A genetic research trial identifies families that are at increased risk for a certain disease or condition and attempts to discover the genetic link to that condition.

As part of your medical management, your doctor may suggest that you take part in a specific clinical trial that is appropriate for you based on your personal medical history. It may be helpful to realize that clinical trials are only conducted when the medical community has a reason to believe that a new strategy (treatment, screening method, etc.) under study may be superior to other treatments. All clinical trials must be reviewed by a medical center’s internal review board (IRB) to ensure that a patient’s safety is a primary focus of the clinical trial.

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PARTICIPATING IN A CLINICAL TRIAL

Participating in a clinical trial may allow you to:

Access potential new therapies that may help people live a longer life or improve quality of life

• Receive care at a nationally recognized facility that is conducting a clinical trial
• Help improve treatment for others
• Lower the cost of your medical care (some clinical trials may offer care or treatment without charge to people participating in a trial)
• Help researchers test new approaches that may help prevent some types of cancer in people who have never had cancer, or prevent cancer from coming back in people who have already had cancer

While participating in a clinical trial may be a good option for some people, there may also be some potential risks or side effects that impact whether a not a person wants to participate in a clinical trial. To learn more about clinical trials, click here.

New Jersey Cancer Trial Connect (NJCTC) is a new web site that connects patients and family members to currently available clinical trials throughout the State of New Jersey. To learn more about clinical trials available in New Jersey and NJCTC, click here. If you are not from New Jersey but are interested in finding a clinical trial that might be right for you, click here.

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