A clinical trial is a scientific study to determine if a new drug, other treatment or diagnostic procedure will potentially be of benefit to patients. Not only are clinical trials necessary to advance the state of knowledge in the prevention and treatment of cancer, but patients may potentially benefit from participation in a clinical trial by receiving the most advanced and highest quality care possible. According to a recent survey, 85% of cancer patients are not even aware that clinical trials are a treatment option.

However, it is also possible that the new experimental treatments may be no better than standard care and there may be some risks associated with new treatments. The following links provide much educational material explaining what clinical trials are, their potential risks and benefits, and provide information sources on how to participate in a cancer clinical trial.

http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/ This web site is administered by the National Cancer Institute. It provides a comprehensive set of educational materials, news stories on recent developments, and a data base of clinical trials. Unfortunately, not all cancer clinical trials are submitted to the data base so it is not comprehensive. One can also call 1-800-4CANCER.

http://www.acor.org/ This website belongs to the Association of Cancer Online Resources. It includes educational materials on cancer clinical trials and provides links to other clinical trial information sources.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/ETO_6.asp The American Cancer Society administers this website that includes educational information, recent developments and their own clinical trial matching service. The matching service is a collaboration between the ACS and EmergingMed who maintains a data base of 3,300 cancer clinical trials.

http://www.cancertrialshelp.org/patientsCaregivers/patientsCaregivers.jsp This site is run by the Coalition of National Cancer Cooperative Groups, Inc. It provides educational material, inspirational messages, and a data base of clinical trials that are sponsored by members of the Coalition.