Types of Clinical Trials

Every cancer treatment approved for use today was found safe and effective in a clinical trial. This video will teach you about the types of clinical trials that are being used to find the treatments that will be approved tomorrow.

Transcription:

[00:00:06] Dr. Susan Love: I'm Dr. Susan Love, and I'm the chief visionary officer the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. Our mission is a future without breast cancer. We do that through innovative research into the cause and prevention of the disease. Inpatient science is a series of videos that help explain to you breast cancer, how it works and what your choices and options are.

[00:00:30] Speaker 1: When breast cancer comes knocking at your door, it brings with it a lot of questions. Should you have surgery? Is radiation therapy best? What about chemotherapy or hormone therapy? Are there other options? Should you try one treatment before another?

[00:00:44] Speaker 2: Although there seem to be many choices thanks to the hundreds of thousands of breast cancer patients who have participated in clinical research studies over the years, we have a pretty good idea which treatment is the best for you.

[00:00:57] Speaker 1: When clinical trials are conducted the effectiveness of a treatment is often compared to a standard treatment. Therefore, a patient in a clinical trial will be randomly assigned to either the new or the standard treatment. If there is no standard treatment, all patients receive the new treatment.

[00:01:13] Speaker 2: Some people hear about clinical trials and think, "Not me, I want the best care available." The fact is, clinical trials provide some of the highest quality care. In fact, the experimental treatment may turn out to be better than the standard one.

[00:01:28] Speaker 1: Clinical trials are divided into phases. Phase one trials enrolls a small number of people and test the safety and side effects of a new treatment. They also determine the best dose. Phase two trials enrolls slightly more people. They look at safety, effectiveness and side effects over a larger population.

[00:01:44] Speaker 2: Women with metastatic breast cancer may want to consider phase one or phase two trials. They test the newest drugs and approaches and can provide access to more options.

[00:01:55] Speaker 1: More than 300 clinical trials are open to women with metastatic breast cancer right now. Phase three trials enroll hundreds or thousands of patients. They compare the new drug or treatment to the standard of care. The US Food and Drug Administration uses results from clinical trials to determine if a new treatment should be approved.

[00:02:13] Speaker 2: In early studies of breast conservation, women were randomly assigned to receive a mastectomy or lumpectomy plus radiation. Thanks to those generous and brave women, we now know there is no difference in survival or recurrence between those two approaches.

[00:02:29] Speaker 1: Clinical trials also study other approaches, like new technologies for diagnosing cancer, mammography and MRI, ways to reduce treatment-related side effects or collateral damage, and programs for improving quality of life.

[00:02:42] Speaker 2: Everything we do today to treat breast cancer, is because courageous women and men were willing to participate in research for the good of others.

[00:02:52] Speaker 1: By taking part in a clinical trial today, you too can help improve the future of breast cancer treatment for generations to come. That's something to feel good about.