All of today’s approved cancer treatments were first proven in clinical trials. These trials help inform doctors if a new treatment is effective and safe. Thousands of people have survived cancer because of treatments they received in clinical trials. Millions more have been given new hope because of breakthroughs that came from clinical cancer research. As a result, there are nearly 10 million cancer survivors in the United States today. And clinical trials have even revealed new ways to prevent cancer.
What, exactly, are clinical trials?
Before a new treatment method is made available to the public, it is used and evaluated in a hospital, doctor’s office or other clinical setting. These “trials”- which are strictly monitored and carefully evaluated- test the safety and effectiveness of the new treatment. For the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the treatment for general use, the therapy must successfully complete three phases of clinical trials.
Most people don’t know that cancer clinical trials are how cancer research becomes cancer treatment. And most people aren’t aware that clinical trials themselves ARE a form of cancer treatment. As a result, the more clinical trials Georgia has, the more treatment options Georgians have. And the more treatment options we have, the higher the quality of cancer care in our state.
That’s why Georgia CORE says that clinical trials are “today’s cancer care…tomorrow’s cancer cure.”
Georgia CORE is working diligently to deliver a new state-specific cancer clinical trials search tool. More information about the new site will be available late Summer 2010.
Clinical Trials in Georgia
Every Georgian should be able to look within our home state first for the best cancer care. And the best cancer care has a direct correlation to the number and availability of clinical trials. According to the Institute of Medicine in its report Assessing the Quality of Cancer Care: An Approach to Measurement in Georgia, “it is commonly accepted … that participation in clinical trials is associated with excellent medical care as well as improving the standard of care through research.”
Many of Georgia’s oncologists offer clinical trials in their offices, clinics or in hospital settings. The trials offered in Georgia’s community or academic settings follow precisely the same protocols as those offered in nationally renowned medical research facilities. As a result, leading-edge medical science is accessible to most Georgians without their having to travel to a major city or another state.
Please contact Georgia CORE at info@georgiacore.org or 404-584-8697 for more information about clinical research opportunities in Georgia.
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