What is a Clinical Trial?
In cancer research, a clinical trial is a study conducted with cancer patients, usually to evaluate a new treatment. Each study is designed to answer scientific questions and to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. The search for good cancer treatments begins with basic research in laboratory and animal studies. The best results of that research are tried in patient studies, hopefully leading to findings that may help many people. Before a new treatment is tried with patients, it is carefully studied in the laboratory.This research points out the new methods most likely to succeed, and, as much as possible, shows how to use them safely and effectively. But this early research cannot predict exactly how a new treatment will work with patients. With any new treatment there may be risks as well as possible benefits. There may also be some risks that are not yet known. Clinical trials help us find out if a promising new treatment is safe and effective for patients. During a tr
A clinical trial is a study to test the safety and effectiveness of a new drug or medical device in patients. A physician supervises the research and follows a clinical protocol, or study plan. Studies of new medical devices or new drugs also require approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.).
Clinical trials are regulated, health-related medical research conducted in order to answer a question related to health care. They can result in the discovery of better ways to detect, or even the prevention and cure of diseases and illnesses. They are also used to determine the safety and effectiveness of new drugs or treatments.
