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What are they? | Phases | Benefits | Risks | Questions to Ask | Finding Clinical Trials What are Clinical Trials?A clinical trial is a type of medical research that focuses on the effects that treatments have on patients. These carefully planned scientific studies help doctors select the safest, most effective approaches to cancer treatment. The basic question asked in any clinical trial is: Is this treatment better and safer than the treatment(s) currently used to treat this disease? New medical breakthroughs, which improve the lives of many people, emerge because they have been tested in clinical trials and found to be helpful. Many forms of treatment are tested in clinical trials. New chemotherapy drugs, surgical and radiation techniques, vaccines, and biological therapies are a few of the treatments currently being studied in clinical trials as possible treatments for all types of mesothelioma. Clinical trials often involve adding a new treatment after standard treatment has been given.
Before any chemotherapy treatment is tested with patients it is studied first in tissue culture in the laboratory. If it is determined to be potentially effective, it is next tested with animals. Finally, it is tested with people. Clinical Trial PhasesThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees all clinical trials in which they will be asked to render a decision as to the benefit to the public of the drug or treatment being tested. A new drug or other treatment goes through several different phases of clinical trials prior to FDA approval. more... Benefits of Participating in a Clinical TrialClinical trials offer you the opportunity to receive the best healthcare available and to help others currently affected by mesothelioma and those who will be affected in the future. You can choose to participate in a clinical trial and still work with your current healthcare team. more... Risks Involved in Clinical TrialsGreat efforts are made to ensure safety for patients participating in clinical trials. Still, risks remain. These risks are greater in Phase I and II studies than in Phase III or IV studies. Discuss possible risks with your doctor. more about the risks ... and some questions you might want to ask the researcher. more... Finding Clinical TrialsNew and improved treatments for mesothelioma will come about only through clinical trials. This section includes resources to help you learn more about the specific clinical trials now available for people with mesothelioma. more...
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