Clinical trials aim to discover better treatments for a long list of diseases including cancer. Such medical trials are also used to assess whether a certain treatment can be used in a different way. Patients have the option to join clinical trials if they want to gain access to newer and more innovative treatment that is not offered in the market yet.
As a clinical trial participant, you get to try a drug or procedure that no one has ever tried before. This way, drug manufacturers and doctors can provide better products or procedures to future patients.
Rest assured that every clinical trial is designed to provide every patient with quality and highly safe treatment.
What are breast cancer treatment clinical trials?
Clinical trials for breast cancer are specifically designed to find ways to prevent breast cancer, improve diagnosis procedures, create better treatment options, and determine alternative methods to treat breast cancer. Each clinical trial is carefully designed to suit the needs of the research as well as the condition of the target study group.
Are breast cancer clinical trials safe?
While clinical trials may seem highly experimental, you should take note that patients are closely monitored. The trial procedure and details have been checked by a medical board as well as an ethics committee before it can be launched.
Before you can take part in the research, your physician will explain the entire process in detail. He or she will brief you about the side effects, pros and cons of using the drug or procedure, compensation benefits and other critical information.
What are the two types of clinical trials?
Clinical trials can either be classified as RCTs or randomized controlled trials or placebos. In the RCT setup, a group of patients with similar conditions or signs and symptoms receive the new treatment, while another group receives the standard treatment.
Double blind clinical trials or placebos, on the other hand, involves randomly providing patients with drugs that have the active ingredient or a placebo. Neither the doctor or the patient knows if the drug used is a placebo or the new treatment.
Should you consider joining a clinical trial for breast cancer treatment?
Your safety is assured by your attending physician, and you will find out everything needed before you sign the consent forms. As a part of the clinical trial group, you will also be closely monitored by the doctor to determine how well the product or procedure worked for you. If you’re interested to join medical trials, try to open this topic with your oncologist. He or she will point you in the right direction.
Hundreds of clinical trials are done each year in an effort to improve the chances of cancer patients to survive and overcome the diseases once and for all. If you ever heard about a medical treatment or procedure trial, you should consider joining the research. This will help you as well as the other patients who have a similar condition to you.
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