Clinical Trials Close to Home, part 3: Why you should participate
Cancer
Here are six reasons why, if you qualify, you should consider participating in a clinical trial
If you or a loved one get diagnosed with cancer, St. Joseph’s/Candler wants to offer you a variety of treatment options, including cutting-edge technology, the latest treatments and even the treatments of the future through our robust clinical trials program.
Clinical trials are research studies that involve patients and help doctors and researchers find new ways to improve treatments and the quality of life for people with disease. Clinical trials involve a variety of different methods of study ranging from a new drug or vaccine to combining a new treatment with an existing treatment to observation in addition to treatment. Search available clinical trials here.
“I view clinical trials as opportunities to receive new and exciting therapies for cancers so that we understand how new treatments impact outcomes, like survival and cure rates, compared to standard therapies,” says Dr. Sarah Gill, gynecologic oncologist with St. Joseph’s/Candler GYN Oncology.
“I explain to my patients that our goal is to find ways to cure cancers or at least prolong quality life, and the only way that we will get better treatments is through clinical trials,” Dr. Gill continues. “Participating in a clinical trial is also a chance to contribute to science and increase our knowledge so that we can hopefully come closer to a cure in the future.”
At the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion, we work tirelessly to provide a variety of clinical trials so that as many patients have clinical trial opportunities as possible. Currently, we have more than 50 active and enrolling trials that study a large variety of cancer diagnosis. That number can fluctuate as trials open and close.
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The clinical trials offered at the LCRP are the same trials available throughout hospitals in the United States, and the majority are funded by the National Cancer Institute.
Additionally, the trials offered through the LCRP are phase 2 or phase 3 trials, so these trials have been tried and tested through phase 1 and sometimes phase 2 and wouldn’t be moving on if the data didn’t show promise.
At the LCRP, we have an entire research department dedicated to acquiring the best clinical trials for our population, making sure all laws and regulations are followed and then making sure our clinical trial patients are getting the best care. You are basically getting an extra team, an extra set of eyes throughout your treatment.
“At the LCRP, patients should have quality clinical trial opportunities that allow them to participate close to home and have the same choices as at an academic center,” Dr. Gill says. “There are many safety checks, labs, imaging and monitoring visits to ensure all patients are as safe on clinical trial treatments as possible.”
Advantages of participating in a clinical trial
While clinical trials vary from study to study, there are many similar advantages to participating in one. Here are six benefits:
- You are potentially getting a newer and better treatment, or “tomorrow’s treatment today.”
- You are helping someone else that one day could benefit from this study and treatment.
- You are designated your own nurse/research coordinator that works side-by-side with you and your doctor. This nurse serves as another set of eyes and ears to help you through your journey.
- You still get high-quality treatment. All trials are administered according to a protocol, and the patient’s safety is always a top priority. While the treatment may not be readily available to the public, patients across the country also are participating in the same trial, following the same protocol.
- The clinical trial treatment may be equally effective yet more tolerable than the current readily available treatment.
- There’s still a lot that doctors and researchers do not know about cancer. Clinical trial participation can help find answers to these questions or lead researchers to new questions. The goal is have people live longer, better, healthier lives. This can only be done through clinical trial participation.
Dr. Gill encourages patients, if they qualify for a trial, to strongly consider it, especially minority patients.
“We always need more patients to participate in clinical trials,” Dr. Gill says. “Historically, clinical trials have included mostly white/Caucasian patients. Here at the LCRP, I encourage all of our patients, especially our African-American, Hispanic and Asian populations, to strongly consider participating in clinical trials so that these groups can be much better represented in the data that results from these trials.”
“We want to study and find better treatments for ALL patients. We need to understand all of these nuances so that the best treatments can be administered to every individual, regardless of race, cancer cell type, biomarkers or other characteristics that make us and cancer unique.”
If you would like to learn more about clinical trials at the LCRP, call us at 912-819-5704 or click here.
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