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CLINICAL TRIALS: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Clinical
Trials: Questions and Answers Clinical trials are a critical part of the research process. Clinical trials help to move basic scientific research from the laboratory into treatments for people. By evaluating the results of these trials, we can find better treatments and ways to prevent, detect, and treat cancer. But very few adults with cancer - only 3 percent - participate in clinical trials. We need to test the best cancer prevention, detection, and treatment ideas in the shortest time possible, and this can only happen if more people participate in clinical trials. We know that most people understand very little about clinical trials. National Cancer Institute (NCI) research has shown that the general public is either unaware of clinical trials as a treatment/ prevention option or misinformed about the clinical trial process. The reasons for this lack of understanding are complex, and there is no simple solution. Whether you are a cancer survivor, someone who works with people with cancer, or someone who is touched by cancer in another way – a fact sheet exists to help answer your questions about clinical trials. With this information, you can help people in your community make informed decisions about their cancer treatment and prevention options, including the option of participating in a clinical trial. SELECT Trial (www.crab.org/select) SELECT (the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial is the largest-ever prostate cancer prevention trial. Coordinated by a network of researchers called the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), the study is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Previous studies suggest that selenium and vitamin E (alone or in combination) may reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by 60 percent and 30 percent, respectively, but only a large clinical trial such as SELECT can confirm those initial findings. The study is open to men 55 and older. African-American men, 50 and over, are eligible to enroll because prostate cancer strikes African-American men earlier and more often than white men. To get more information about SELECT or to locate a participating center:
The Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene, or STAR trial, one of the largest breast cancer prevention studies ever, is now recruiting volunteers at centers across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The trial will include 22,000 postmenopausal women at increased risk of breast cancer to determine whether the osteoporosis prevention drug raloxifene (Evista®) is as effective in reducing the chance of developing breast cancer as tamoxifen (Nolvadex®). For more information about STAR and a list of participating centers:
The Clinical Trial Education Series The
National Cancer Instituteís Clinical Trials Education Series
was created to meet the information needs of cancer patients, their
families and health care professionals, so that informed decisions
about cancer treatment and prevention options can be made. The
Clinical Trial Education Series consists of more than 13 different
educational materials (books, booklets, slides and videos) that may
be used individually or in combination. Here's info about the African American Tobacco Education
Network, part of the California Black Health Network (a statewide agency). They
too provide mini grants, and provide a good entree for AACHA into tobacco
education/awareness, and possibly a small grant for Soul Stroll 2003.
They have an office in Sacramento and San Diego.
The NCI Cancer Facts are a collection of fact sheets that address a variety of cancer topics. Fact sheets are frequently updated and revised based on the latest cancer research. Fact sheets may be viewed in HTML or PDF. Visit: cis.nci.nih.gov/news/new.html#factsheets
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