How to Choose the Best Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

December 18, 2010 by admin
Filed under Mesothelioma Treatment

Commonly Asked Questions About Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

November 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under Mesothelioma Treatment

Commonly Questioned Questions About Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

Most people have some concerns about taking part in a clinical trial, often because they’re not really sure what it will mean for them. Taking time to get as much information as you need before you choose is the best way to be sure that you will make the choice that is right for you. These are the commonly questioned questions about mesothelioma clinical trials:

1- Is the clinical trial risky?

Yes, all clinical trials have risks. Every medical test, drug, or procedure has risks. The risk may be greater in a clinical trial because some aspects of any new treatment are unknown. This is especially right of phase I and II clinical trials, where the treatment has been studied in fewer people.

Perhaps a more vital question is whether the risks are outweighed by the possible benefits. Since mesothelioma cancer is often a terminal disease with the current treatment modalities offering small hope in terms of cure, most victims are often willing to accept a certain amount of risk for a chance to be helped, but it is always vital to be realistic about what this chance is. Question your doctor to give you an thought of what the possible benefits are, and exactly what benefit is likely for you.

With this in mind, you can make a more informed choice. Some people may choose that any chance of being helped is worth the risk, while others may not. Others may be willing to take certain risks to help others.

2- Will I just be used as an experimental “guinea pig?”

There’s no denying that the ultimate purpose of a clinical trial is to answer a medical question. People who take part in clinical trials may need to do certain things or have certain tests done to stay in the study.
But this does not mean that you will not get brilliant, compassionate care while in the study. In fact, most people enrolled in clinical trials appreciate the extra attention they get from their health care team. In 2005, the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups surveyed over 1,700 people with cancer on their awareness and attitudes about clinical trials. Only a few had taken part in clinical trials. But most of those who did were very satisfied: 96% said they were treated with dignity and respect, 92% said they had a positive experience, and 91% would recommend that family or friends take part in a clinical trial if faced with cancer.

3- Will I get a placebo?

Most mesothelioma cancer clinical trials do not use placebos unless they are given along with an active drug. It would be unethical to give someone an inactive medicine as it would deny the mesothelioma victim of availing themselves of the available treatment for the cancer.

The very least you should expect from any clinical trial is to be offered the standard of care already being used.

4- Will my information be kept confidential?

As much as possible, all of your personal and medical information will be kept confidential. Of course, your health care team needs this information to give you with the best possible care, just as they would if you were not in a clinical trial.

Medical information that is vital for the study, such as test results, is usually place on special forms and into computer databases. This is then given to the people who will analyze the study results. Your information is assigned a number or code ,your name is not on the forms or in the study database. Sometimes, members from the research team or from the Food and Drug Administration may need to look at your medical records to be sure the information they were given is right. But your personal information is not given to them and is never used in any published study results.

Bello kamorudeen.For more information on Mesothelioma treatment go to http://www.mesotheliomacorner.blogspot.com

Tags: about, Asked, Clinical, Commonly, Mesothelioma, Questions, Trial

Important Tips on How You Can Participate in a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

October 7, 2010 by admin
Filed under Mesothelioma Treatment

1 Comment

Vital Tips on How You Can Participate in a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

A clinical trial is a process that all new treatment options and medications go through before they are accepted and registered for general usage. These trials often offer a last hope for cure for many terminal and hard diseases. Most drugs that have become standard therapies for many illnesses today have all undergone an extensive period of testing with clinical trials.

There are three stages of clinical trials. Phase I trials enroll a limited number of people. They normally center on the right dosage and relative safety of a particular drug. Phase II trials enroll more people and are used to determine if the new drug really works against a particular illness. Phase III trials are the final phase before a drug is approved for treating a disease. During Phase III, the new drug is compared against the existing treatment. The goal during Phase III is to prove the new drug is a more effective treatment.

To find about clinical trials you can participate in you can check on the internet for resources that list ongoing clinical trials for mesothelioma, which include the qualifications for each.

You can also consult your mesothelioma doctor for information on available clinical trials. Doctors have access to all upcoming and current clinical trials, and can also help determine if a patient qualifies for a particular trial.

You can also contact the large regional cancer centers in their area, which will have access to information on clinical trials being coordinated from their hospitals

You have to consider a lot of factors if you want to take part in a clinical trial. Clinical trials typically occur in large metropolitan hospitals and it is vital to know how often participants will need to see the physicians coordinating the trials and how long each visit will take, these visits will translate into a lot of hotel and travel expenses.

Not everyone qualifies for a clinical trial, different trials use different criteria for selecting eligible participants. Some clinical trials want participants that that have undergone an unsuccessful traditional treatment, while other clinical trials want patients who have not been treated at all.

Another factor that you have to consider about clinical trial is that you will have no control over the kind of treatment you will receive. In randomized clinical trials, patients receive the traditional treatment while others receive the experimental treatment. You do not get to choose which treatment you receive, nor will you know what treatment is being administered. There is no guarantee that a participant will receive the experimental treatment.

Despite apparent risks, the benefits of clinical trials are numerous. Without clinical trials it would be nearly impossible to judge the effectiveness of new drugs. The health care that participants receive during a clinical trial is fantastic. Careful records must be kept and extensive testing must be done to gauge the effectiveness and safety of a new therapy.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of asbestos cancer with an extremely low survival rate and clinical trials are one of the best ways to find a cure. The patients currently involved in mesothelioma clinical trials will hopefully pave the way for a more effective treatment. You must consult with your doctor about the various available clinical trials once you are diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Bello kamorudeen.For more information on Mesothelioma Treatment go to http://www.mesotheliomacorner.blogspot.com

Mesothelioma Treatment Centers www.mesorc.com Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, representing less than 1 percent of all cancer types, or about 2500 and 3000 people in the United States annually. This means that smaller medical centers rarely see or treat patients with the disease. In addition, diagnosis and treatment of this cancer can be hard. For these reasons, it’s vital for patients suffering from mesothelioma to be treated at centers with the proper level of expertise. We’ve made a list of established medical centers in the United States that have programs and physicians who specialize in mesothelioma, usually as part of a division or center dedicated to thoracic diseases. These are meant as a centralized resource, not as a ranking or an endorsement of the care facilities. Descriptions of each treatment center are adapted from the facility’s website and include links back to additional resources. NORTHEAST Brigham and Women’s Hospital Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Fox Chase Cancer Center Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Massachusetts General Hospital Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Mount Sinai Medical Center Norris Cotton Cancer Center NYU Langone Medical Center Yale Cancer Center SOUTHEAST Duke University Medical Center Emory Winship Cancer Institute H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute Johns Hopkins Hospital Markey Cancer Center and the University of Kentucky MUSC Hollings Cancer Center University of Alabama Hospital …

Tags: Clinical, Important, Mesothelioma, Participate, Tips, Trial

Asbestosis and Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Basics

September 29, 2010 by admin
Filed under Mesothelioma Treatment

4 Major Factors to Consider When You Want to Participate in a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

September 6, 2010 by admin
Filed under Mesothelioma Treatment

How to Choose the Best Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

Commonly Asked Questions About Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

Important Tips on How You Can Participate in a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

Asbestosis and Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Basics

4 Major Factors to Consider When You Want to Participate in a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

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