The purpose of clinical trials is to decide if a new medication or treatment is safe and effective. Clinical trials are research studies that are conducted to find more effective ways to treat, prevent, or diagnose disease. Clinical trials may also be done to find treatments with fewer side effects, or treatments that are easier for patients to tolerate.
Before a medication or treatment is used in the general public, it must be tested in clinical trials. There are 3 phases of clinical trials that a treatment needs to be evaluated in before it meets the criteria for FDA approval.
- Phase 1 trials – These trials are conducted on a small number of people and are designed to see if a treatment is safe.
- Phase 2 trials – After a treatment is considered to be relatively safe, it is evaluated in a phase 2 trial to see if it is effective.
- Phase 3 trials – If a treatment is found to be relatively safe and effective, it is then evaluated in a phase 3 clinical trial to see if it is more effective than standard treatments available, or has fewer side effects than standard treatments.
With the low survival rates for lung cancer, clinical trials are of utmost importance to find new ways of treating the disease. Unfortunately, many people who would qualify for clinical trials are not enrolled. If you have been diagnosed with lung cancer, check out the articles below and talk with your doctor about the option of clinical trials.
Further Reading:
- What Are Clinical Trials?
- Types and Phases of Clinical Trials
- Should I Participate in a Clinical Trial?
- How Can I Find Clinical Trials for Lung Cancer?
Sources:
ClinicalTrials.gov. Understanding Clinical Trials. Updated 09/20/07. http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/info/understand
National Cancer Institute. What is a Clinical Trial? Updated 04/08/08. http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/what-is-a-clinical-trial
