What is a clinical trial?

Overview: Clinical trials are research studies designed to test new methods for detecting, preventing, managing, and treating cancer.
Purpose: Clinical trials help doctors assess the safety, effectiveness, and potential benefits of new treatments compared to existing ones.
Importance: Clinical trials are key to advancing cancer care, but some people are unaware or hesitant to participate or maybe have fears or negative beliefs grounded in past realities.
Ethical Oversight: Federal regulations, however, ensure clinical trials are conducted ethically. There are strict guidelines surrounding clinical trials and extensive lab testing (often several years) is completed before use in humans.
Contribution to Cancer Care: Participating in clinical trials helps expand scientific knowledge and improve future cancer treatments; many current treatments used today are the result of past clinical trials, making them an essential part of the ongoing fight against cancer.