Research Clinical Trials

How do I find out about clinical trials?

• Ask your doctor.
• Call 1-800-4CANCER to reach the Cancer Information Service, a program of the National Cancer Institute. They can give you clinical trial information over the phone, or send it by mail.
• Call a cancer center in your area.
• The National Cancer Institute has a site specifically devoted to clinical trials. One of the choices on that site allows you to search the Physicians Data Query (PDQ) database for trials by cancer type and by geographical area.
• All of the major cancer centers also have web sites. Most of these provide information on clinical trials being carried out at that center. One of the best all-around cancer web sites is the University of Pennsylvania's OncoLink. Its Clinical Trial page has information on current trials. Other cancer centers can be found through the NCI site.

I found out about a clinical trial, but my doctor tells me I'm not eligible. I feel rejected. Why was I excluded?

Clinical trials are planned very carefully to answer certain questions. Part of the process involves enrolling patients who are alike in certain ways. For example, a trial might be designed to answer questions about treating patients who have a particular stage of breast cancer, or who have already received a certain type of chemotherapy. In order for the results to make sense at the end of the study, only those patients who meet these criteria will be enrolled.

Another consideration is patient safety. A new drug may be safe only in people with normal kidney or liver function, for example. So people with poorly functioning kidneys or livers would not be accepted into the study. Also, people who are at a high risk for a drug's side effects are ineligible: e.g., women with a history of serious blood clots should generally avoid taking tamoxifen. People who have had another kind of cancer in the past are usually not accepted because this history can complicate the study's results.

Why hasn't my doctor told me about participating in a clinical trial?

There could be several reasons. Your doctor may be aware of the clinical trials that are enrolling patients, and knows that the trials don't apply to your situation, or knows you are not eligible to participate for other reasons. Or your doctor may not have the necessary staff to do all the extra record-keeping required for participation in a clinical trial.

Don't assume anything. If you are interested in available studies, ask your doctor.