Clinical Trials Lung Cancer - Overview of Participation

Survival rates for advanced lung cancer are poor, and clinical trials, lung cancer, offer some hope of finding a treatment that will improve quality of life and/or survival prognoses. Clinical trials offer an option when conventional treatments have failed.

What are clinical trials?
Clinical trials are studies performed by research teams, to test and measure the effectiveness and safety of a new treatment or medication. Clinical trials are basically testing the treatment on humans, after exhaustive research and animal trials have been completed. These trials provide scientists with the opportunity to gauge the effectiveness of a treatment and evaluate the results, and are required before a new drug can be released onto the market. For the lung cancer patients who participate, they offer a chance at discovering a treatment that could have better results than standard treatments.

Who can participate?
Each trial will have particular criteria which must be met. Your oncologist might make some suggestions of clinical trials which might be useful for you. You can also find pertinent trials on your own, but your oncologist should be made aware of what you are planning to do. Participation is entirely optional and voluntary, and you need to feel comfortable being part of the trial. You can stop the treatment at any time and leave the trial if you wish.

What types of trials are there?
Clinical trials are categorized either by phase or type. The phase of a trial is the stage of its research and development; a Phase 1 clinical trial is the first time the treatment has been used on human patients and primarily tests the safety of the drug for humans; a Phase 3 trial is the final step before approval by the FDA or other governing body (depending on the country you live in), testing the efficacy of the treatment.

The type of trial refers to the reason for the trial being conducted; it could be for diagnostic, preventative or treatment purposes.

Why would I participate in a clinical trial?
Lung cancer patients participate for a variety of personal reasons. Trialing a new drug offers hope that it might be effective where traditional drugs have failed to make a difference; you might get to use a new drug, that is going to be the next big treatment, before it is available to the general public; your participation may help the development of a new cure for lung cancer, even if it doesn't necessarily help you personally.

You should be aware that participating in a clinical trial does carry risks, and you should ask lots of questions about the benefits and the risks before agreeing to take part.

How do I find out about the clinical trials?
There are clinical trial databases and matching services, which will help you find a trial near you or one has criteria that you meet. Your oncologist may be able to make some suggestions also.

Various countries have their own databases and services and these should be easy to find online. In the USA, the following organizations will be able to help you:

• ClinicalTrials.gov: a directory provided by the National Institute of Health. Search under 'lung neoplasm'.
• Centerwatch: Clinical Trials Listing Service: this lists international clinical trials.
• National Cancer Institute: search by location or type of cancer.

There are other organizations that can help you find clinical trials for lung cancer and others that offer a matching service.