Prostate cancer clinical trials
Clinical trials are at the heart of every new cancer treatment.
These trials can help doctors determine what is safe and effective in treating
prostate cancer, as well as a variety of other diseases and cancers. Always
consult with your healthcare team before deciding to participate in a clinical trial.
What is a clinical trial?
A clinical trial is a study designed to show whether or not a treatment for a serious disease is effective or safe, or
to find out more about the disease. That means that the people who participate in
the trial could have early access to a new and better treatment. But the treatment
may also not work for participants.
Also, clinical trials can test treatments that aren’t available, and about which
not much is known. Likewise, these treatments’ side effects are unknown.
But if you participate in a clinical trial, you may feel you have more control over
your situation. And you will probably receive more attention from your doctors and
nurses.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that not every clinical trial is designed to
test a new treatment such as a drug or radiation technique. Some studies seek to
find out more about the disease itself. To find studies for prostate cancer, search
the government’s clinical trial Web site, ClinicalTrials.gov.
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