What are clinical trials?
Clinical trials are medical research studies that test the safety and effectiveness of promising approaches to disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. A commonly known type of clinical trial is an “interventional” trial, which means treatment therapies are given to patients in the trial.
When you are diagnosed with lung cancer, you and your doctor should discuss whether or not an interventional clinical trial is a good option for you. If you are interested in taking part in a clinical trial and your doctor has not discussed this with you, be sure to ask if opportunities are available.
Represent Yourself: Improving Access to Cancer Clinical Trials
Watch this hour-long educational webinar on improving access to lung cancer clinical trials, which includes three patients’ experiences as well as information about finding clinical trials.
Want to learn more about clinical trials?
A comprehensive guide is available at this link, or you can check out our quick guide.
Why are clinical trials important for lung cancer patients?
Participating in a clinical trial may enable patients to access the newest lung cancer treatments before they are widely available. Patients in clinical trials also receive high-quality care, while helping researchers improve care for current and future cancer patients.
Clinical trials that test cancer treatments might involve the use of drugs, radiation therapy, surgery or other treatment methods. Treatments are only brought to clinical trials after significant prior research shows they have promise. These trials are carefully conducted by doctors and trained teams to ensure that patients receive the best possible treatment and care.
Clinical trials are a critical step in the process of getting new treatment options approved for care. By participating in a clinical trial, you’ll be helping researchers and doctors make lifesaving treatments available to more people like you.
Can I talk to someone who has been through a clinical trial?
To talk with someone who has been through a clinical trial, call the Cancer Hope Network at (800) 552-4366 to get matched with a lung cancer survivor.
How can I find the right trial for me?
Beginning your search for a clinical trial can be a difficult task. To help you get started, we recommend beginning your search on www.clinicaltrials.gov, a U.S. government run database of privately and publicly funded clinical trials. Click here to view the full list for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer trials and here for Small-cell Lung Cancer trials. After identifying a trial that may be a good fit, you may also reach out to any of the contacts listed in the ‘Contacts and Locations’ section of a particular trial by clicking on the trial link and scrolling down to that section.
You can also find more information through these resources: