What are Clinical Trials?

Clinical trials (also clinical research, clinical studies) are research studies to determine whether experimental treatments, or new ways of using known therapies, are safe and effective. Carefully conducted clinical trials are necessary to find treatments that work in people and ways to improve health.

There are four phases of clinical trials in cancer treatment:

Phase I trials: to determine the safety of a new treatment

Phase II trials: to determine whether a certain kind of cancer responds to a new treatment

Phase III trials: to verify whether a new treatment is better than standard treatment

Phase IV trials: to find more specific information about a new treatment that has been already approved for use in patients

Quality Control

Clinical trials conducted in our Clinic are FDA approved protocols. A protocol determines what will be done in a clinical trial and why. It outlines how many patients will participate in a clinical trial, type and frequency of medical testing, treatment plan, monitoring requirements and the evaluation plan.

Enrollment in Clinical Trials

The clinical trials encompass a variety of brain tumors in both children and adults. Only eligible patients may receive experimental treatment.

To find out if you qualify for enrollment in clinical trials, please contact our Cancer Information Specialist.