Facilitating Clinical Trial Participation

Clinical trials are crucial to discover new therapies, procedures and other treatments in medicine.¹ Today, many people are living longer after successful cancer therapies as a result of clinical trials.^1-3 Many promising treatments for cancer are in development. Clinical trials are used to evaluate whether a new treatment is effective, safe and better than existing standard treatments.^1,3 All new treatments must be tested in clinical trials before gaining approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).³ It can take years to complete cancer clinical trials, as much time may be required to see if a treatment has its intended effects.³

Engaging Patients to Participate in Clinical Trials

Many patients who participate in clinical trials hear about it from their oncology provider.⁶ Participating in a trial has potential benefits and risks, with highlights of each summarized below:

Provider-patient conversations about potential enrollment in a clinical trial are not always easy; experts recommend a sequenced approach, beginning with a patient’s understanding of their diagnosis, followed by the current best proven treatment and then the possibility of a clinical trial.⁷

When discussing a clinical trial with a potential participant, consider communication techniques such as⁷:

Present information while avoiding medical jargon and a long list of medications and side effects
Encourage patients to ask questions and share their thoughts and feelings
Review how cancer treatments have improved over time due to clinical research and patient participation in trials
Evaluate options outside a clinical trial and explain how the trial is different from current standard treatment
Emphasize that trial participation is voluntary and withdraw can occur at any time

Trial Resources

Clinical trials are available for patients with all types and stages of cancer.⁸ However, only 3% to 6% of patients with cancer who are eligible for clinical trials participate.⁹

Oft-used resources to find general cancer clinical trial listings include^6,10:

National Institutes of Health (NIH) maintains a large database of clinical trials at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/
National Cancer Institute (NCI) provides an online search for cancer clinical trials at: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/clinical-trials
Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) at: https://www.ciscrp.org/
EmergingMed Clinical Trial Navigation Service at: https://app.emergingmed.com/emed/home

Lists of clinical trials can also be found by searching websites for cancer advocacy groups, such as cancer.net; pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies; and cancer centers across the US.^6,10

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