Cancer Clinical Trials

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. See a list of available trials at SCCC.

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.