Breakthroughs in cancer care occur as a result of research studies called
clinical trials, which have the potential to improve healthcare for generations
of patients by identifying new clinical treatments for cancer. Current
standard treatments for cancer are available because they were thoroughly
tested in clinical trials and found to be effective and safe. Altru Cancer
Center offers patients a variety of clinical trial opportunities and participation options.
Since 1977, Altru Cancer Center has partnered with Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
in Rochester, Minnesota, and the National Cancer Institute to offer leading
clinical trial research in our community through a research group called
the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.
Membership in this group provides our patients with access to emerging
cancer treatment options and:
Allows our patients to participate in research programs at our facilities
Gives our physicians access to the latest information regarding advances
in cancer treatment
Means seeking the best cancer treatment doesn’t have to include relocating
What is a Clinical Trial?
Clinical trials are research studies that test new ways to diagnose, treat
or prevent disease or manage side effects of existing treatments.
Clinical trials test new treatments, diagnostic approaches or prevention
strategies in people, a key differentiator from preclinical studies, such
as cell studies or animal studies, that take place in a laboratory. Preclinical
studies precede clinical trials and offer evidence that a treatment or
technique is likely to be safe and effective in people. The role of a
clinical trial is to confirm that with further investigation.
Participation in a clinical trial is completely voluntary. Clinical trials
also take place in phases:
Phase I trials establish a treatment’s safety.
Phase II trials determine effectiveness.
Phase III trials study whether the experimental treatment works better
than the standard treatment.
What are the Goals of Clinical Trials?
Determine whether a new treatment works better than the best treatment
currently available or whether a new treatment works as well as the standard
therapy but with fewer side effects
Determine whether a new treatment is safe for patients
Successful clinical trials may lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
to approve a new treatment for use.
How Can Participating in a Clinical Trial Help Me?
By taking part in a clinical trial, you may:
Gain access to emerging treatments that would not be available to you otherwise
Improve your quality of life
Contribute to researchers’ understanding of cancer and, potentially,
help future patients with cancer
What Clinical Trials are Available at Altru?
A variety of clinical trial opportunities and participation options are
available through Altru Cancer Center and the Alliance for Clinical Trials
in Oncology.
Studies conducted at Altru include treatments to improve usual care (standard of care), prevention,
quality of life and supportive care. We also participate in screening
studies and laboratory research.
The purpose of a clinical trial is to conduct research, so the studies
follow strict scientific standards. These standards and requirements protect
patients and help produce reliable study results.
What Should I Ask My Provider About Clinical Trials?
What clinical trial opportunities and participation options are available to me?
What are my treatment options, including the treatment I would receive
in a clinical trial, and how do they compare with one another?
What is the goal of the clinical trial and how long will it last?
Why might the new treatment in question be superior to the standard treatment?
What will the clinical trial entail?
Who will be my point of contact during the clinical trial?
What are the potential risks and benefits of the new treatment compared
with the standard treatment?
What, if any, costs will I be responsible for by participating in clinical
research for cancer?
Please ask your
oncology provider or nurse if you want more information about clinical trials.
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