CLINICAL TRIALS

Phase 1
Tests for toxicity & uses increasing doses to find the best dose 

Phase 2
Has passed the toxicity and is being tested for effectiveness 

Phase 3
Compares the new agent against standard treatment

You can call our hotline for a personalized matching service.

Here are some valuable questions to ask before enrolling in a trial:

1. What is the purpose of this study? Who is sponsoring it? How is it reviewed for safety?

2. What kinds of tests and treatments must I go through?

3. What are the potential side-effects? Get specific details about how the drug is administered and what any relevant studies to date have shown about side-effects.

4. Will some participants receive a placebo and others get the real thing? Many studies are set up to determine how pa­tients who receive the treatment do by comparison with those who receive nothing. Also, many trials are "double-blind": neither the doctor nor the patient knows what the pa­tient is getting.

5. Will my insurance pay for this, or the pharmaceutical company? How about housing or travel costs are they reimbursed?

6. What happens once the trial is over? Will there be follow up? Will I be told the results of the study?

Here are some links to search for trials.

Cancer Trials Support Unit

Coalition of National Cancer Cooperative Groups
Go to this site to find out about cancer trials that may help you fight melanoma.

Eastern Oncology Cooperative Group
A definitive source of current oncology research trials.

Oncolink
This site contains information from the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute. It has a melanoma page and lists current medical trials.

www.clinicaltrials.gov
National Institutes of Health search site for clinical trials.

Source:  Melanoma Prevention, Detection and Treatment, Yale University Press, 2nd edition, 2005
Modified 02/08