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Educational Materials

Patient Care Costs

Special Topics

NCI Programs That Conduct Clinical Trials

Understanding Cancer Series

Introduction to Clinical Trials

Clinical Trials: Questions and Answers
(Reviewed: 05/19/2006) - This fact sheet covers types of clinical trials, who sponsors them, how they are conducted, how participants are protected, and who pays for the patient care costs associated with a clinical trial. Includes some questions to ask a health care provider before entering a clinical trial. National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 2.11

What Is a Clinical Trial?
(Posted: 01/10/2000, Reviewed: 04/08/2008) - A basic description of the reason for, and the kinds of, clinical trials.

Should I Take Part in a Clinical Trial?
(Posted: 08/30/2001, Reviewed: 04/08/2008) - A discussion of the risks, benefits and participant protections associated with a patient's enrollment in a clinical trial.

Should I Take Part in a Cancer Prevention Trial?
(Updated: 07/27/2004) - A discussion of the pros and cons of participating in a cancer prevention trial.

How Do I Take Part in a Clinical Trial?
(Posted: 01/10/2000, Reviewed: 04/08/2008) - A discussion of such factors as a patient's eligibility for a trial, trial locations, and paying for patient care costs.

Participating in a Trial: Questions to Ask Your Doctor
(Posted: 08/30/2001, Reviewed: 04/08/2008) - Anyone considering a clinical trial should feel free to ask questions. Here are some suggestions.

How Is a Clinical Trial Planned and Carried Out?
(Posted: 01/10/2001, Reviewed: 04/04/2008) - In order to make a decision about participating in a clinical trial, it helps to know how trials are conceived and run.

Protecting Participants in Clinical Trials
(Posted: 08/30/2001, Reviewed: 05/01/2006) - A collection of material about the ways in which clinical trials participants are protected before and during the conduct of a study.

NCI-Supported Cancer Clinical Trials: Facts and Figures
(Posted: 12/18/2000, Updated: 03/28/2006) - Answers to some frequently asked questions about the National Cancer Institute's clinical trial enterprise.

Ten Things to Know About Cancer Treatment Trials
(Posted: 01/10/2000, Reviewed: 12/23/2003) - A list of the ten basic facts about clinical trials.

Eleven Things to Know about Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials
(Posted: 01/10/2000) - Some basic facts about cancer prevention trials.

Cancer Imaging Clinical Trials
Discusses what cancer imaging trials are and why they're important.

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Clinical Trials Education Series
The Clinical Trials Education Series is designed for cancer patients, health professionals, and the general public. It consists of 13 different educational materials (books, booklets, slides, videos) that can be ordered separately or viewed online.

Protecting Human Research Participants
A free, on-line tutorial offered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research, for physicians, nurses, and other members of clinical research teams. This online course satisfies the NIH human subjects training requirement for extramural researchers obtaining Federal funds.

Incorporating Cancer Clinical Trials Into Your Practice
A Web-based course for healthcare providers who are interested in becoming clinical trials investigators and incorporating clinical trials into their practice. If you are not already familiar with clinical trials, you may first wish to take the Cancer Clinical Trials Basics course.

Clinical Research Training On-Line
The Web-based Clinical Research Training On-Line Course for Principal Investigators addresses one of the essential standards (training and education) approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for performing clinical research in the Intramural Research Program. All NIH intramural clinical principal investigators are required to take the course and successfully complete a final exam.

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Clinical Trials and Insurance Coverage - A Resource Guide
(Posted: 12/30/1999, Updated: 01/30/2002) - A guide to information about insurance coverage of the patient care costs associated with clinical trials.

States That Require Health Plans to Cover Patient Care Costs in Clinical Trials
(Posted: 12/19/2002, Updated: 12/01/2008) - A searchable list and map of U.S. states that require health plans to pay for the patient care costs associated with clinical trials. Key provisions are summarized.

Financial Assistance and Other Resources for People With Cancer
(Reviewed: 02/28/2008) - A fact sheet that lists organizations that can help patients and their families with financial assistance during treatment. National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 8.3

Medicare Coverage of Clinical Trials
(Posted: 08/22/2001, Updated: 01/10/2006) - A collection of material about Medicare's policy of covering routine patient care costs associated with clinical trials.

Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense Beneficiaries
(Posted: 10/15/1999, Reviewed: 04/14/2008) - A collection of material about an agreement allowing U.S. veterans and Department of Defense TRICARE beneficiaries to participate in NCI-sponsored cancer clinical trials as part of their health benefits.

Cost of Clinical Trials
(Posted: 02/09/1999, Reviewed: 11/25/2008) - A collection of material about studies showing that patient care costs for clinical trials are not appreciably higher than costs for patients not enrolled in trials.

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Treating and Preventing Cancer with Vaccines
(Posted: 06/23/2004, Updated: 06/12/2006) - Cancer vaccines are being tested in clinical trials to see if they can help to prevent or treat a wide variety of cancer types. This feature provides an introduction to cancer vaccines - how they work and why researchers think they're promising.

What Is Randomization?
(Updated: 08/03/2004) - A randomized, controlled trial is considered the most reliable and impartial method of determining what medical interventions work the best.

Which Study Results Are the Most Helpful in Making Cancer Care Decisions?
(Posted: 06/12/2003) - This article explains why a randomized, controlled clinical trial is considered the gold standard in cancer research.

Access to Investigational Drugs: Questions and Answers
(Reviewed: 11/19/2004) - A fact sheet that defines investigational drugs (drugs under study but not yet FDA approved) and describes the special conditions under which patients and their doctors can apply to receive these treatments. National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 7.46

Understanding the Approval Process for New Cancer Treatments
(Posted: 12/30/1999, Updated: 01/06/2004) - A look at how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration relies on the results of clinical trials to ensure the safety and effectiveness of new cancer treatments before they go on the market.

Cancer Imaging
Imaging techniques - methods of producing pictures of the body - have become an important element of early detection for many cancers.

Boosting Cancer Trial Participation
(Posted: 04/21/2003, Updated: 02/28/2006) - A collection of material about the barriers keeping people from participating in cancer clinical trials.

Back to Top NCI Programs That Conduct Clinical Trials

NCI-Designated Cancer Centers
Information about NCI-designated cancer centers, including a map listing all locations.

National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials at NIH in Bethesda, Md.
This Web site helps the general public and health care professionals identify cancer clinical trials taking place at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.

NCI's Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program
(Reviewed: 03/28/2006) - A fact sheet about the NCI program for academic institutions and treatment centers that work with NCI to design and conduct clinical trials. National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 1.4

Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium
(Posted: 04/07/1999, Reviewed: 01/30/2006) - The National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced on April 5, 1999, that it had awarded funds for a Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, a network of medical centers that will evaluate promising treatments for children with brain malignancies.

NCI's Cancer Imaging Program - Clinical Trials
Information about clinical trials and related programs of NCI's Cancer Imaging Program.

Back to Top Understanding Cancer Series

Understanding Cancer Series
This Web site contains graphic-rich tutorials for educational use by life science teachers, medical professionals, and the interested public. Each tutorial is also available in PDF and PowerPoint formats that may be downloaded from the Web.

Understanding Cancer Series: The Immune System
This tutorial illustrates the immune system, the complex network of specialized cells and organs that distinguishes between self and foreign molecules inside the body. The presentation also explains that a malfunctioning immune system can cause allergies or arthritis and can fail to stop the growth of cancer cells.

Understanding Cancer Series: Cancer Genomics
This tutorial describes some of the genes and mutations, both inherited and sporadic, in the human genome that contribute to cancer susceptibility and to the development and progression of cancer.

Understanding Cancer Series: Angiogenesis
This tutorial describes and illustrates angiogenesis and its importance in cancer research.

Understanding Cancer Series: Genetic Variation (SNPs)
This tutorial explains tiny variations in the human genome called Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) that can influence a person's health. Shows how SNPs occur in both coding and noncoding regions and can cause silent, harmless, harmful, or latent effects. Shows how SNPs can be markers for cancer. Suggests that SNPs may also be involved in the different levels of individual cancer risk observed. Suggests that in the future, SNPs databases may be used to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment planning.

Understanding Cancer Series: Gene Testing
This tutorial illustrates what genes are, explains how mutations occur and are identified within genes, and discusses the benefits of gene testing for cancer and other disorders.

Understanding Cancer Series: Cancer Genome Project
This tutorial explains how the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP) studies the molecular changes that occur in cancer genomes and shares this information with all scientists. The information in NCI's CGAP databases is being used to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Understanding Cancer Series: Nanodevices
This tutorial explains nanotechnology and its potential to improve cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment. This presentation also illustrates several nanotechnology tools in development, including nanopores, quantum dots, and dendrimers.

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