Cancer Center– A Cancer Center Designated by
the National Cancer Institute

Clinical Trials: Making progress in the field of cancer

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What are clinical trials and why are they important?

Clinical trials (also called clinical studies) are research studies conducted with people who volunteer to take part in a study to find better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose, or treat a disease.

Each study answers questions and tries to find better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose, or treat a disease. People who take part in cancer clinical trials have an opportunity to contribute to the knowledge of, and progress against, cancer. They also receive innovative care from experts.

If more people enroll in trials, information about possible beneficial treatments, supportive care, prevention, screening, and diagnostic procedures can be discovered more quickly. A lot of progress has been made in the cancer field due to valuable information from clinical trials. Many cancer treatments we have today are based on what we learned from clinical trials.

Why do more ethnic minorities need to participate?

To make research studies more representative of various populations, all groups including ethnic minorities are needed to participate.

With more ethnic minority participation in studies, we can obtain helpful information to better understand minority health. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is working with partner organizations to increase awareness and knowledge about clinical trials using the Clinical Trials Education Series (CTES).

What are the types of cancer clinical trials?

There are many types of cancer clinical trials: treatment, supportive care/quality of life, prevention, early detection/screening, and diagnostic.

For example, treatment trials are conducted with people who have cancer. These trials test many types of treatments, new approaches to treatment, or new combinations of treatments. Learn more about other types of trials from NCI’s Cancer Clinical Trials Fact Sheet.

What are the rights and protection of clinical trial participants?

Strict guidelines are in place to ensure that these volunteers are treated with respect.

Patient permission is required to enroll in a clinical trial. All trials are approved by a medical review board and are continuously monitored. A participant has the right to withdraw from a trial at any time. The participant may also discuss further treatment options with the study physician or be referred back to a primary care provider for standard care.

How to find more about cancer clinical trials?

Stanford Cancer Center Resources

National Cancer Institute (NCI) Resources

Call toll free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) or 1-800-332-8615 (TTY for the hearing and speech impaired).

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To get live, online assistance from an NCI Information Specialist, visit LiveHelp.

Stanford Medicine Resources:

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