Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
New Patient Appointment or 214-645-4673
At Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, we strive to bring new knowledge, expertise, and technology to the fight against cancer through our clinical trials and scientific research programs. Learn more about what this means for our patients and their families.
We have a wide range of clinical trials open to patients with all types and stages of cancer. Search for opportunities to participate in a cancer study.
A clinical trial is a study that doctors and researchers use to find new and better ways of treating, preventing, and managing health conditions. Patients – and their loved ones – can volunteer to be part of clinical trials and become actively involved in the process of developing new and better treatments.
You might want to join a clinical trial to get access to treatment options that aren’t available elsewhere. You might also want to join a trial if your treatment has been effective and you’d like to help doctors and researchers learn more about other options. We have healthy volunteers who participate just to help others benefit from the knowledge gained from the studies.
If there’s a clinical trial that interests you, the first step is to talk to your doctor, who will help determine if you’re eligible.
At Simmons Cancer Center, numerous resources are available to patients to ensure they benefit from recent scientific progress by participating in cancer clinical trials.
Patient navigators help patients, their families, and caregivers deal with any challenges they might face while getting cancer treatment and participating in clinical trials. This includes getting the right care at the right time and considering clinical trial options – from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. Navigators know the ins and outs of the health care system and assist patients every step of the way. The goal is to ensure that everyone, no matter their age, gender, race, or financial situation, can access the latest cancer treatments through clinical trials.
If you are interested in learning more about cancer clinical trials, please call 833-722-6237 or email canceranswerline@utsouthwestern.edu. We can also provide interpreter services for non-English-speaking patients.
Our Financial Reimbursement Program makes it easier for people to participate in cancer clinical trials by providing money to cover nonmedical expenses. Patients with cancer and their caregivers who are facing high medical costs can get financial help for transportation, parking, meals, internet, childcare, etc.
Through funding from the Cancer Prevention Institute of Texas and in partnership with Lazarex Cancer Foundation, these services are available to all qualifying patients who reside in Texas.
If you are a patient in the Parkland Health system and interested in participating in cancer clinical trials at UTSW, the Clinical Trial Transfer Program, funded by Stand Up to Cancer, can help make that happen. The goal is to make sure everyone has a fair chance to join these trials. For more information about this opportunity, please contact us at canceranswerline@utsouthwestern.edu.
You may gain access to new drugs and other treatments, sometimes years before they are widely available. You will be monitored closely for any side effects. You will have the chance to take an active role in your own health care. You will be making a valuable contribution to cancer research.
You may need to undergo additional tests that pose some risk to participants (e.g., X-rays). You may be required to have additional or longer medical appointments, more procedures, complex medication instructions, or hospital stays, any of which can be an inconvenience. Other risks include discomfort or side effects from new, experimental treatments.
The study coordinators will provide detailed information and answer questions about the risks and benefits of participating in a particular study. Having this information can help you make an informed decision about whether to participate.
You generally do not have to pay extra out-of-pocket costs for treatments studied as part of a trial. Many clinical trial costs are covered by the sponsor of the study or a patient's insurance plan if one is available, and sometimes there are out-of-pocket costs. Routine tests are usually covered by the patient’s insurance whereas costs related to taking part in the trial are covered by the trial’s sponsor. Each trial is different, and before you join a study, you will be told exactly what you have to pay for and what you don’t.
Many people think clinical trials involve less effective drugs or ineffective drugs (placebos), but only a small fraction of cancer clinical trials use them. If a placebo is part of the trial you’re considering, you will be fully informed of that fact ahead of time.
For trials testing a new treatment, such as a new medication or device, you may end up not being part of the group that gets the experimental treatment. Instead, you may be assigned to the control (or comparison) group. In most studies, the control group receives the current standard of care, which is the treatment that is currently accepted and widely used by medical experts for a certain type of cancer.
All clinical trials have guidelines spelling out who can participate. The factors that allow you to participate in a clinical trial can include age, gender, the type and stage of your disease, previous treatment history, and other medical conditions. Following these criteria helps us keep you safe and ensures that researchers learn the information they need.
You can join a clinical trial at any time during your care, from first diagnosis onward. Please find a list of available trials at SCCC here.
Strict rules are in place to keep you safe. Every clinical investigator is required to monitor and ensure every participant is safe and the study risks are as low as possible. At SCCC, safeguards to protect clinical research participants also include our Institutional Review Board, informed consent process, Data and Safety Monitoring Boards, and Observational Study Monitoring Boards.
SCCC researchers run one of the best clinical cancer research programs. Patients who choose to participate in one of our more than 400 clinical trials benefit from close collaboration between our doctors and scientists and the oversight of a compassionate and highly experienced staff recognized for their unparalleled focus on patient safety and care.
UT Southwestern offers a number of clinical trials aimed at improving the outcomes of patients with cardiovascular disease.
UT Southwestern’s patient care app – UTSWMyCare – helps you easily manage your health and stay connected to UTSW and your provider, all in a secure and safe environment.
Your support enables us to advance promising new research and treatment programs that will improve the quality of life for all and impact the state of cancer knowledge and care.
