Prostate Cancer: Clinical Trials
A clinical trial is a research study that uses volunteers to test a new type of prevention
or treatment. A clinical trial may test a medicine, a procedure, or a device to see
if it works and is safe. There are clinical trials for all kinds of health conditions
and diseases.
Who runs clinical trials?
They are managed by different kinds of organizations. A clinical trial may be run
by a government agency or a university. It may be run by a company or a nonprofit
organization.
Risks and benefits of being in a clinical trial
Being part of a clinical trial means you may benefit from a treatment that is not
yet available to anyone else. The treatment may have shown some good results in previous
research. The risks of being in a clinical trial vary depending on the trial. A treatment
may not work, or result in harmful side effects. You will sign an informed consent
to participate and may withdraw from the clinical trial at any time for personal or
medical reasons.
Clinical trials for prostate cancer
Many prostate cancer clinical trials are often in progress. Most of these are small
clinical trials with only a small number of people being treated. If a small clinical
trial shows that a treatment may work well, a larger clinical trial is then done.
The treatment may then be tested on hundreds or even thousands of men. Other types
of clinical trials for prostate cancer look for new ways to help prevent it, better
ways to find it early, and ways to tell if it will grow quickly or not.
Finding out about clinical trials
To learn more about clinical trials for prostate cancer, talk with your healthcare
provider. You can also contact these organizations: