How to Choose the Best Mesothelioma Clinical Trial
You can find out about good mesothelioma clinical trials in different ways. You can enter for clinical trials do so after hearing about them from your doctor. You can also actively look for clinical trials on the Internet or in other places, hoping to find more options for treatment. Some clinical trials are advertised directly to patients.
Information about mesothelioma cancer resources can be obtained from several resources. These resources can be divided into 2 main types: clinical trials lists and clinical trials matching services.
1- Clinical trial lists
These sources give you the names and descriptions of clinical trials of new treatments. If there is a study you are interested in, you will probably be able to find it in a list. The list will often include a description of the study, the criteria for patient eligibility, and a contact person. If you (or your health care providers) are willing and able to read through descriptions of all the studies listed for your cancer type, then a list may be all you need. Some organizations that provide lists can help you narrow the list a little, according to the kind of treatment you are looking for (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, etc.) and the stage of your cancer.
2- Clinical trials matching services
Over the past few years, several organizations have developed computer-based systems to match patients with studies they may be eligible for. This service is often offered online.
Each may differ somewhat in how it works. Some of the services allow you to search for clinical trials without registering at the site. If you have to register, they usually assure you that your information will be kept confidential. Either way, you will probably have to enter certain details, such as the type of cancer, the stage of the disease, and any previous treatments you may have had. When given this information, these systems can find clinical trials for which you may be eligible, and save you the time and effort of reading descriptions of studies that are not relevant to you. Some groups also allow you to subscribe to mailing lists so that you are informed as new studies open up.
Although they are usually free to users, most clinical trial matching services get paid for listing studies or get a finder's fee from those running the studies when someone enrolls. Because of this, there may be some differences in the way they rank the studies, or the order in which they present the studies to you.
Because different services work differently, be sure you understand how the service you are looking at operates. Ask the following questions. (Note that the answers do not necessarily mean that the service is not worth using.) *Is there a fee for using the service? *Do I have to register to use the service? *Does the service keep my information confidential? *Where does the service get its list of clinical trials? *Does the service rank the studies in any particular order? Is this based on fees they get? *Can I contact the service through the Internet or by telephone?
Examples of clinical trials matching services are:
1- The American Cancer Society Clinical Trials Matching Service: The American Cancer Society helps patients find high quality care in clinical trials that best match their medical needs and personal preferences, while helping researchers study more effective treatments for future patients
The TrialCheck® database, developed and maintained by the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups, is a comprehensive database that includes the Coalition, National Cancer Institute, and industry trials. To our knowledge, this is the most complete matching database of cancer clinical trials available.
The clinical trials information provided by the American Cancer Society is not biased in any way. It is updated every day, as is the contact information that allows patients to get in touch with the doctors and nurses at cancer centers running each of the studies. You can access the TrialCheck at www.cancer.org (click on "Find a Clinical Trial") or through a toll-free number, 1-800-303-5691.
2- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsors most government-funded cancer clinical trials. The NCI has a list of active studies (those currently enrolling patients), as well as some privately funded studies. You can find the list on their Web site at www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials or by calling 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237). You can search the list by the type and stage of cancer, by the type of study (for example, treatment or prevention), or by zip code.
3- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has an even larger database of clinical trials at www.clinicaltrials.gov, but not all of these are cancer studies.
4- EmergingMed provides a free and confidential matching and referral service for cancer patients looking for clinical trials at www.emergingmed.com, or you can call 1-877-601-8601.
5- CenterWatch (www.centerwatch.com) is a publishing and information services company that keeps a list of both industry-sponsored and government-funded clinical trials for cancer and other diseases.
6- Private companies, such as pharmaceutical or biotechnology firms, may list the studies they are sponsoring on their Web sites or offer toll-free numbers so you can call and ask about them. Some of these firms also offer matching systems for the studies they sponsor. This can be helpful if you are interested in research on a particular experimental treatment and know which company is developing it.
Showing posts with label Mesothelioma Clinical Trial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mesothelioma Clinical Trial. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Important Tips on How You Can Participate in a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial
Important Tips on How You Can Participate in a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial
A clinical trial is a process that all new treatment options and medications go through before they are accepted and registered for general usage. These trials often offer a last hope for cure for many terminal and difficult diseases. Most drugs that have become standard therapies for many illnesses today have all undergone an extensive period of testing with clinical trials.
There are three stages of clinical trials. Phase I trials enroll a limited number of people. They normally center on the correct dosage and relative safety of a particular drug. Phase II trials enroll more people and are used to determine if the new drug actually works against a particular illness. Phase III trials are the final phase before a drug is approved for treating a disease. During Phase III, the new drug is compared against the existing treatment. The goal during Phase III is to prove the new drug is a more effective treatment.
To find about clinical trials you can participate in you can check on the internet for resources that list ongoing clinical trials for mesothelioma, which include the qualifications for each.
You can also consult your mesothelioma doctor for information on available clinical trials. Doctors have access to all upcoming and current clinical trials, and can also help determine if a patient qualifies for a particular trial.
You can also contact the large regional cancer centers in their area, which will have access to information on clinical trials being coordinated from their hospitals
You have to consider a lot of factors if you want to take part in a clinical trial. Clinical trials typically occur in large metropolitan hospitals and it is important to know how often participants will need to see the physicians coordinating the trials and how long each visit will take, these visits will translate into a lot of hotel and travel expenses.
Not everyone qualifies for a clinical trial, different trials use different criteria for selecting eligible participants. Some clinical trials want participants that that have undergone an unsuccessful traditional treatment, while other clinical trials want patients who have not been treated at all.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of asbestos cancer with an extremely low survival rate and clinical trials are one of the best ways to find a cure. The patients currently involved in mesothelioma clinical trials will hopefully pave the way for a more effective treatment. You must consult with your doctor about the various available clinical trials once you are diagnosed with mesothelioma.
A clinical trial is a process that all new treatment options and medications go through before they are accepted and registered for general usage. These trials often offer a last hope for cure for many terminal and difficult diseases. Most drugs that have become standard therapies for many illnesses today have all undergone an extensive period of testing with clinical trials.
There are three stages of clinical trials. Phase I trials enroll a limited number of people. They normally center on the correct dosage and relative safety of a particular drug. Phase II trials enroll more people and are used to determine if the new drug actually works against a particular illness. Phase III trials are the final phase before a drug is approved for treating a disease. During Phase III, the new drug is compared against the existing treatment. The goal during Phase III is to prove the new drug is a more effective treatment.
To find about clinical trials you can participate in you can check on the internet for resources that list ongoing clinical trials for mesothelioma, which include the qualifications for each.
You can also consult your mesothelioma doctor for information on available clinical trials. Doctors have access to all upcoming and current clinical trials, and can also help determine if a patient qualifies for a particular trial.
You can also contact the large regional cancer centers in their area, which will have access to information on clinical trials being coordinated from their hospitals
You have to consider a lot of factors if you want to take part in a clinical trial. Clinical trials typically occur in large metropolitan hospitals and it is important to know how often participants will need to see the physicians coordinating the trials and how long each visit will take, these visits will translate into a lot of hotel and travel expenses.
Not everyone qualifies for a clinical trial, different trials use different criteria for selecting eligible participants. Some clinical trials want participants that that have undergone an unsuccessful traditional treatment, while other clinical trials want patients who have not been treated at all.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of asbestos cancer with an extremely low survival rate and clinical trials are one of the best ways to find a cure. The patients currently involved in mesothelioma clinical trials will hopefully pave the way for a more effective treatment. You must consult with your doctor about the various available clinical trials once you are diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
4 Major Factors To Consider When You Want To Participate in A Mesothelioma Clinical Trial
4 Major Factors To Consider When You Want To Participate in A Mesothelioma Clinical Trial
Clinical trials for new mesothelioma treatments give hope for the discovery of a possible cure for the deadly cancer. Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of asbestos related cancer with a very high mortality rate, most victims die within 1-2 years after the diagnosis. The patients currently involved in mesothelioma clinical trials will hopefully lead to the discovery of better and more efficient ways of treating the disease. Consulting with a physician about various available clinical trials should be considered at the initial diagnosis.
A clinical trial is a process that new treatment options and medications pass through before they are approved for use by the general population. Many patients with terminal diseases are advised to participate in clinical trials as a last hope for a cure. Many drugs and therapies that become the standard therapy of care for many diseases have gone through an extensive period of testing with clinical trials before they were approved for general use.
Factors to Consider Before Taking Part in a Clinical Trial There are a variety of factors to take into consideration when considering participation in a clinical trial.
1-The distance to the trial centre and the financial implications of taking part in the clinical trial
Clinical trials most times take place in large metropolitan hospitals located in the major cities, some of the patients however live in smaller towns far from these major cities. It is important to know how often participants will need to see the physicians coordinating the trials and how long each visit will take, and how much the hotel and travel expenses will likely cost.
2-Selection criteria for the trial
Not everyone qualifies for a clinical trial ,the criteria for selection for a particular drug trial varies. Some clinical trials will want patients that have tried using some other medication which did not work, while other clinical trials require that the participating patients have not started any treatment for their disease.
3-The risk factor
Another factor when considering a clinical trial is the loss of control over medical treatment. In some clinical trials, referred to as randomized studies, patients receive the traditional treatment while others receive the experimental treatment. The patient does not choose which treatment they receive, nor do they likely know what treatment is being administered. There is no guarantee that a participant will receive the experimental treatment. There is always a risk involved in using experimental drugs and treatments, they might have unknown side effects that will only show up when they are used by human beings.
4-General state of health of the patient
A patient's general health is also a major consideration when preparing to participate in a clinical trial. Patients with other pre-existing medical disease will not be allowed to participate in most clinical trials as well as patients on other major medications. The presence of other medical diseases might affect the accuracy and reliability of the results of the clinical trials. Some of those other major medications might also interact negatively with the actions of the drugs that are on trial.
Clinical trials for new mesothelioma treatments give hope for the discovery of a possible cure for the deadly cancer. Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of asbestos related cancer with a very high mortality rate, most victims die within 1-2 years after the diagnosis. The patients currently involved in mesothelioma clinical trials will hopefully lead to the discovery of better and more efficient ways of treating the disease. Consulting with a physician about various available clinical trials should be considered at the initial diagnosis.
A clinical trial is a process that new treatment options and medications pass through before they are approved for use by the general population. Many patients with terminal diseases are advised to participate in clinical trials as a last hope for a cure. Many drugs and therapies that become the standard therapy of care for many diseases have gone through an extensive period of testing with clinical trials before they were approved for general use.
Factors to Consider Before Taking Part in a Clinical Trial There are a variety of factors to take into consideration when considering participation in a clinical trial.
1-The distance to the trial centre and the financial implications of taking part in the clinical trial
Clinical trials most times take place in large metropolitan hospitals located in the major cities, some of the patients however live in smaller towns far from these major cities. It is important to know how often participants will need to see the physicians coordinating the trials and how long each visit will take, and how much the hotel and travel expenses will likely cost.
2-Selection criteria for the trial
Not everyone qualifies for a clinical trial ,the criteria for selection for a particular drug trial varies. Some clinical trials will want patients that have tried using some other medication which did not work, while other clinical trials require that the participating patients have not started any treatment for their disease.
3-The risk factor
Another factor when considering a clinical trial is the loss of control over medical treatment. In some clinical trials, referred to as randomized studies, patients receive the traditional treatment while others receive the experimental treatment. The patient does not choose which treatment they receive, nor do they likely know what treatment is being administered. There is no guarantee that a participant will receive the experimental treatment. There is always a risk involved in using experimental drugs and treatments, they might have unknown side effects that will only show up when they are used by human beings.
4-General state of health of the patient
A patient's general health is also a major consideration when preparing to participate in a clinical trial. Patients with other pre-existing medical disease will not be allowed to participate in most clinical trials as well as patients on other major medications. The presence of other medical diseases might affect the accuracy and reliability of the results of the clinical trials. Some of those other major medications might also interact negatively with the actions of the drugs that are on trial.
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