By Bello Kamorudeen
You can find out about good mesothelioma clinical trials in
different ways. You can enter for clinical trials do so after
hearing about them from your doctor. You can also actively look
for clinical trials on the Internet or in other places, hoping
to find more options for treatment. Some clinical trials are
advertised directly to patients.
Information about mesothelioma cancer resources can be obtained
from several resources. These resources can be divided into 2
main types: clinical trials lists and clinical trials matching
services.
1- Clinical trial lists
These sources give you the names and descriptions of clinical
trials of new treatments. If there is a study you are interested
in, you will probably be able to find it in a list. The list
will often include a description of the study, the criteria for
patient eligibility, and a contact person. If you (or your
health care providers) are willing and able to read through
descriptions of all the studies listed for your cancer type,
then a list may be all you need. Some organizations that provide
lists can help you narrow the list a little, according to the
kind of treatment you are looking for (chemotherapy,
immunotherapy, radiation therapy, etc.) and the stage of your
cancer.
2- Clinical trials matching services
Over the past few years, several organizations have developed
computer-based systems to match patients with studies they may
be eligible for. This service is often offered online.
Each may differ somewhat in how it works. Some of the services
allow you to search for clinical trials without registering at
the site. If you have to register, they usually assure you that
your information will be kept confidential. Either way, you will
probably have to enter certain details, such as the type of
cancer, the stage of the disease, and any previous treatments
you may have had. When given this information, these systems can
find clinical trials for which you may be eligible, and save you
the time and effort of reading descriptions of studies that are
not relevant to you. Some groups also allow you to subscribe to
mailing lists so that you are informed as new studies open up.
Although they are usually free to users, most clinical trial
matching services get paid for listing studies or get a finder's
fee from those running the studies when someone enrolls. Because
of this, there may be some differences in the way they rank the
studies, or the order in which they present the studies to you.
Because different services work differently, be sure you
understand how the service you are looking at operates. Ask the
following questions. (Note that the answers do not necessarily
mean that the service is not worth using.)
•Is there a fee for using the service?
•Do I have to register to use the service?
•Does the service keep my information confidential?
•Where does the service get its list of clinical trials?
•Does the service rank the studies in any particular order? Is
this based on fees they get?
•Can I contact the service through the Internet or by
telephone?
Examples of clinical trials matching services are:
1- The American Cancer Society Clinical Trials Matching
Service:
The American Cancer Society helps patients find high quality
care in clinical trials that best match their medical needs and
personal preferences, while helping researchers study more
effective treatments for future patients
The TrialCheck® database, developed and maintained by the
Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups, is a comprehensive
database that includes the Coalition, National Cancer Institute,
and industry trials. To our knowledge, this is the most complete
matching database of cancer clinical trials available.
The clinical trials information provided by the American Cancer
Society is not biased in any way. It is updated every day, as is
the contact information that allows patients to get in touch
with the doctors and nurses at cancer centers running each of
the studies.
You can access the TrialCheck at www.cancer.org (click on "Find
a Clinical Trial") or through a toll-free number,
1-800-303-5691.
2- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsors most
government-funded cancer clinical trials. The NCI has a list of
active studies (those currently enrolling patients), as well as
some privately funded studies. You can find the list on their
Web site at www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials or by calling
1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237). You can search the list by the
type and stage of cancer, by the type of study (for example,
treatment or prevention), or by zip code.
3- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has an even larger
database of clinical trials at www.clinicaltrials.gov, but not
all of these are cancer studies.
4- EmergingMed provides a free and confidential matching and
referral service for cancer patients looking for clinical trials
at www.emergingmed.com, or you can call 1-877-601-8601.
5- CenterWatch (www.centerwatch.com) is a publishing and
information services company that keeps a list of both
industry-sponsored and government-funded clinical trials for
cancer and other diseases.
6- Private companies, such as pharmaceutical or biotechnology
firms, may list the studies they are sponsoring on their Web
sites or offer toll-free numbers so you can call and ask about
them. Some of these firms also offer matching systems for the
studies they sponsor. This can be helpful if you are interested
in research on a particular experimental treatment and know
which company is developing it.
About the Author: Bello kamorudeen.For more information on
Mesothelioma treatment go to
http://www.mesotheliomacorner.blogspot.com
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=422891&ca=Cancer+Survival
