Should You Volunteer for a Clinical Trial?

Boston's Dana Farber Cancer Institute reported that "Despite widespread belief that enrollment in clinical trials leads to improved outcomes in patients with cancer, there is insufficient data to conclude that such a trial effect exists." They continued to explain that participating in a clinical trial is mainly an altruistic act, something a cancer patient does "for improving treatment of future patients," not for enhancing his or her own chances of survival.

Patients Usually Misunderstand the Purpose

According to a 2001 survey {Lancet 2001;358:1772-77}. Oncologists questioned 240 participants in treatment-related clinical trials. Half had either relapsed or progressive diseases and two-thirds had been told they had less than a ten percent chance of surviving five years. Most patients felt that they had read the informed consent form carefully and had received adequate explanations. Yet this survey found that patients enrolled in clinical trials at Boston's top cancer hospitals generally misunderstood the purpose and potential benefit of such trials.

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Many Trials Few Treatments

Research organizations are able to receive funding much more easily if they can demonstrate that they are “close to finding a cure” for this or that cancer. Therefore, there is always a push to start a clinical trial (as long as the treatment is patentable) even if the treatment does not perform all that well. Running a clinical trial makes it appear that the treatment is effective and only needs “a little more money” to bring it into maturity.

Unfavorable Results are Destroyed

The pharmaceutical companies are not required by the FDA to reveal any unfavorable information regarding clinical trials or any testing of their medications. Investigations have shown that some treatments will have four or five studies run before the researchers can produce two sets of study results that are required to move forward through the FDA process. Meanwhile, the people involved with the studies which had poor results or showed dangerous side effects, are amazed that the treatment moves forward.

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Clinical Trials or Alternative Treatments

Considering the high number of clinical trials being run every year and the lack of new effective and safe cancer treatments, cancer patients need to carefully compare the long held results of a safe alternative cancer treatment to the uncertainties of a new pharmaceutical treatment in a clinical trial.

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