Introduction: The Importance of Clinical Trials
Before reviewing how cancer clinical trials work, think about why
they are important. Depending on your community, the people you work
with, or the organizations you belong to, the reasons clinical trials
are important to you and why more people need to participate may be
different than the ones listed here.
Think about the reasons that have the
most meaning for you or your community. Keep these reasons in mind as you go
through this workbook.
Cancer affects us all-whether we have it, care about someone who
does, or worry about getting it in the future.
Consider the impact of cancer in the United States1
each year:
About 555,550 people die of cancer-more than 1,500
people a day
Cancer is the second leading cause of death, exceeded only by
heart disease
1 of every 4 deaths are caused by cancer
About 1,284,900 new cancer cases are diagnosed
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Research has shown that there are many differences between who
develops cancer, who dies from cancer, and who is screened and
treated for cancer among men and women, and among people of different
races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
1 American Cancer Society. (2002). Cancer facts
and figures. Atlanta, GA.
Clinical trials are a critical part of the research process.
Clinical trials translate basic scientific research results into
better ways to prevent, diagnose, or treat cancer. Clinical trials
are the final step in a long research process.
Clinical trials contribute to knowledge of and progress against
cancer. Many of today's most effective cancer treatments are based on
previous study results. Because of progress made through clinical
trials, many people treated for cancer are now living longer.
The more people who participate in clinical trials, the faster
critical research questions can be answered that will lead to better
treatment and prevention options for all cancers. We will never know
the true effectiveness of a cancer treatment or a way to prevent
cancer unless more people are involved in clinical trials.
In the past, clinical trials were sometimes seen as the last
resort for patients who had no other treatment choices. This is not
true; there are many clinical trials for individuals whose cancer has
not spread.
Enormous improvements in treating childhood cancer have come about
as the direct result of clinical trials; more than 60 percent of U.S.
children with cancer participate in clinical trials. In 2000, more
than 70 percent of children with cancer were alive 5 years after
diagnosis, compared to only 55 percent in the mid-1970s.
In contrast, only 3 percent of U.S. adults with cancer participate
in clinical trials - far fewer than the number needed to answer the
most pressing cancer questions quickly.
According to a survey2 in 2000, most people with cancer
were either unaware or unsure that participation in clinical trials
was an option for their treatment, and most of them said they would
have been willing to enroll had they known it was possible.
2 Harris Interactive. (2001). Health Care News,
1(3). [Poll].
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