Pioneering Research and Clinical Trials

The recent statistics from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are extremely encouraging. The overall 5-year survival rate for pediatric cancer is now at 78%. Clinical research has resulted in the discovery of virtually all of the groundbreaking treatments for childhood cancer. Survival rates have also been linked to participation in pediatric clinical trials.

In cancer research, a clinical study is designed to show how a particular anti-cancer strategy, like a promising drug, a new diagnostic test or a possible way to prevent cancer affects the people who receive it.

1. Phase I – test the safety of a new treatment in a small number of patients
2. Phase II – check how effective a treatment is against different kinds of cancers
3. Phase III – usually involve many patients in different places, often to compare two or more different treatments

Patients who take part in a clinical study have the advantage of trying a new treatment that might turn out to be better than a more-established method. In Phase III clinical studies, in which one treatment is compared to another, patients receive either the most advanced and accepted treatment for their specific cancer, known as the "standard" treatment, or they receive a new treatment, one that has shown itself to be at least as beneficial as the standard treatment.

Patients who take part in studies receive specialized care under a very precise set of directions, known as a protocol. Patients are carefully monitored during a study and are then closely followed afterwards. They often become part of a network of clinical studies carried out around the country. In this network, doctors and researchers share their ideas and experiences, so that patients receive the benefit of the shared knowledge.

As well as offering new hope, studies can involve some risks. All cancer treatments have side effects. New treatments being studied may have side effects that are not yet understood, as well as the side effects associated with standard treatments. Patients and families should discuss all aspects of a study with their doctors or nurses before deciding whether or not to participate.