The truth about clinical trials for cancer treatment
Clinical Trials for Cancer Patients
Top Three Myths Revealed
In the past 30 years, the survival rate for cancer patients in the United States has increased more than 30%. Early-stage diagnosis and advancements in treatments and detection are just a few of the reasons there are far fewer deaths caused by cancer. Clinical trials conducted by Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) have played an important role in the advancements that are now saving more lives.
Clinical trials pave the way for the future, and patients who participate in this groundbreaking research are receiving the latest treatments available, which can have positive impacts on their outcomes.
So why do less than 5% of cancer patients choose to participate in clinical trials?
The answer is due to common myths that cancer experts hear and see every day. So, we’re breaking down the facts on clinical trials. First, let’s start with exactly what clinical trials are and how they affect cancer research.
A clinical trial is the careful research that takes place after promising results are seen in the laboratory. In this process, medical professionals closely and carefully conduct a study with a small group of people. They make sure the drug or treatment is not too strong and that every patient is kept safe. This careful human research keeps medicine moving forward.
Clinical trials are the reason new treatments exist for cancers that were previously considered incurable. Every cancer treatment, drug or therapy that is in place today had its start in a clinical trial.
Let’s debunk the three most common myths about clinical trials together.
From Poor Prognosis to Living His Best Life
See how an immunotherapy clinical trial gave 54-year-old John Sodeika the opportunity to beat stage four gastric cancer.
The healthy, active, 54-year-old father of two, John Sodeika, was shocked when he received an advanced gastric cancer diagnosis in 2019. Thanks to his loving family and friends, positive attitude, and treatment from Dr. Rubin, Dr. Wang, and his Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute team, he is off treatment and living his life to the fullest!
The Truth About Clinical Trials
You have to give up your usual treatment to join a clinical trial.
Clinical trials expand treatment options.
Some think of clinical trials as a last resort, but this is absolutely not the case. Patients who participate have the opportunity to receive the most up-to-date treatments available, personalized for their unique conditions. Studies consistently show that their outcomes are at least as good as, if not better than, those of the general patient population receiving standard treatments.
Clinical trials aren’t safe.
Clinical trials are safe.
Patients are carefully monitored by experienced health care professionals at every step of treatment, and all trials are strictly managed by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
Clinical trials don’t make that big of a difference.
Clinical trials provide hope for cancer patients everywhere.
Every clinical trial improves our understanding of cancer. They help to determine if a therapy, drug or procedure shows a better way of treating a particular cancer or a condition for which a treatment didn’t previously exist. Because of difficulty finding patients, many clinical trials are delayed or closed, and medical breakthroughs in cancer research suffer.
You don’t have to travel far to find a clinical trial in Florida.
Cancer care experts with Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute play a key role in bringing more effective drugs to the marketplace and offer patients opportunities to participate in clinical trials at 40 clinic locations close to home throughout Florida.
In recent years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute participation, prior to approval. Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute provides patients with the newest cancer therapies, some not yet available elsewhere, through convenient access to clinical trials. More than 85 active clinical trials are underway at any point in time.
Learn More About FCS Clinical Trials
Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute cares for patients with all forms of cancer and blood disorders at nearly 100 locations throughout Florida. The team of more than 250 physicians, 220 advanced practice providers, and nearly 4,000 other team members shares a commitment to providing patients and their families with the care and support they need at every step of their cancer journey.