All of today’s approved cancer treatments were first proven in clinical trials. These trials help inform doctors if a new treatment is effective and safe. Thousands of people have survived cancer because of treatments they received in clinical trials. Millions more have been given new hope because of breakthroughs that came from clinical cancer research. As a result, there are nearly 10 million cancer survivors in the United States today. And clinical trials have even revealed new ways to prevent cancer.

What is a clinical trial?

A clinical trial is a medical research study in which people participate as volunteers to test new methods of prevention, screening, diagnosis or treatment of a disease. The trial may be carried out in a doctor’s office, clinic or hospital. Strict oversight, monitoring and evaluation in three phases are required before a new treatment method is approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for general use.

How Does Cancer Research Move Into Patient Care?

Clinical trials are conducted in a series of phases. Each phase is designed to answer a separate research question. Phase I trials evaluate safety, Phase II trials measure effectiveness and Phase III trials test against the existing best treatment. In Phase IV trials, new uses or long-term effects of the treatment are examined.

Clinical Trials in Georgia

Every Georgian should be able to look within our home state first for the best cancer care. And the best cancer care has a direct correlation to the number and availability of clinical trials. According to the Institute of Medicine in its report Assessing the Quality of Cancer Care: An Approach to Measurement in Georgia, “it is commonly accepted … that participation in clinical trials is associated with excellent medical care as well as improving the standard of care through research.”

Georgia CORE has partnered with the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups to design a unique, statewide database of clinical trials in Georgia called Georgia Cancer Trials (www.georgiacancertrials.org), powered by TrialCheck ™. This comprehensive database gives patients, advocates, physicians and providers access to detailed information on industry-sponsored, investigator initiated and cooperative group trials.

Georgia Cancer Trials has customized information so that patients and providers have access to information on trials, the physicians who are conducting the studies, and the locations where the trials are available. No other source of information provides this level of detail for trials offered in Georgia. Patients rely on the web site for current information about physicians who are offering clinical trials tailored to their needs, and report making decisions about where to seek cancer treatment based on the availability of and access to clinical trials.

Many of Georgia’s 200+ oncologists offer clinical trials in their offices, clinics or in hospital settings. The trials offered in Georgia’s community or academic settings follow precisely the same protocols as those offered in nationally renowned medical research facilities. As a result, leading-edge medical science is accessible to most Georgians without their having to travel to a major city or another state.

Over 400 cancer protocols are currently underway in more than 50 locations across the state. For more information about trials in Georgia, visit www.georgiacancertrials.org. The Georgia Cancer Trials web site also has a link to Cancer Trials Help created by the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups, which offers more background information on clinical trials.