Clinical Trials in Pennsylvania

To effectively reduce the burden of cancer, state-of-the-art treatment options must be available, affordable, and accessible to our diverse citizenry across the state. It is essential to integrate and coordinate clinical trials in order to make the best use of research and treatment resources throughout Pennsylvania.

Clinical trials are critical because they offer some patients the best strategy for fighting their disease, and they enable medical science to be in the forefront for producing tomorrow's therapies.

Less than 5% of eligible adult cancer patients enter clinical trials, or clinical research studies. For many, this is due in large part to a lack of what exactly clinical trials are. PAC³ strives to help citizens of Pennsylvania learn as much about clinical trials as possible to ensure that they are aware of all possible treatment options that are available to them. To that effect, we have assembled some basics of clinical trials below.

What is a Clinical Trial?

Why are Clinical Trials Important?

What are the different types of Clinical Trials?

What are the phases of Clinical Trials?

Why participate in Clinical Trials?

Who conducts Clinical Trials?

What kinds of Clinical Trials are available to me in Pennsylvania?

What kinds of Clinical Trials are available to me, nationally?

Access to information is a critical element to successful implementation of the Pennsylvania Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan (the Plan).

Research Objective C1 of the Pennsylvania Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan provides the following challenge: Establish a website that will immediately begin to provide user friendly, searchable information to the public and to healthcare professionals on all clinical cancer research studies in Pennsylvania and where they are available along with links to national websites that provide information on clinical research studies available at other locations throughout the United States.

Among many methods of achieving this goal, one is to Make Clinical Research Studies Available to All. To achieve this, PAC³ must not only strive to facilitate patient accrual to clinical research studies in Pennsylvania, but also nationwide. To this end, PAC³ has established this website as a means to provide information to the public and to health care professionals on all clinical cancer research studies in Pennsylvania and nationwide, and where they are available. By meeting this objective of the Plan, PAC³ has moved one step closer to achieving its goals. Please visit the links below to access information on clinical research studies nationwide.

PAC³ provides this information, free of charge, as a service to its members and the general public. PAC³ does not endorse any of the organizations listed, nor does it assume responsibility for the content of any linked sites. Should you experience difficulties with any of the below links and/or resources, or if there are other websites that you feel would be a good fit with those listed below, please contact Mark Byrne in the PAC³ Coordinating Office.

Websites for Information About and Access to Clinical Trials in Pennsylvania

Websites to Search for Available Clinical Trials Nationwide:

General Information on Clinical Trials and Clinical Research Studies:

C-Change and the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups have commissioned the creation of a policy-focused guidance document with the primary purpose of improving policymakers' and other stakeholders' understanding of the process, economics, and barriers related to cancer clinical trials. This document, Enhancing Cancer Treatment through Improved Understanding of the Critical Components, Economics, and Barriers of Cancer Clinical Trials, is available to you, free of charge, in order to help you gain a better understanding of the processes involved in clinical trials and to better facilitate in the improving of cancer prevention and treatment options for all Pennsylvanians.

ENACCT – Education Network to Advance Cancer Clinical Trials

ENACCT is a non-profit organization founded in 2004 with the mission to identify, implement and validate innovative community centered approaches to cancer clinical trials education.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Bringing Cures to All Patients: Addressing Diversity in Clinical Trials is a free activity, offered by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, consisting of two Lecture Presentations, a Learning Assessment, and an Evaluation form. The content of this virtual lecture is derived from a satellite symposium presented in conjunction with the Oncology Nursing Society 32nd Annual Congress.

National Cancer Institute

In addition to the above links, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Cancer Centers has launched an interactive, educational website designed to help cancer patients and their families learn about cancer clinical trials. The site can be accessed at www.UPMCCancerCenters.com/trials. The website simulates a conversation by allowing visitors to type in their own unique questions and receive video-based answers from other cancer patients, medical experts, and educational guides.

What is a Clinical Trial?

Clinical Trials are best described as research studies in which people help doctors find ways to improve health and cancer care. Each study focuses on a specific method to find better ways for preventing, diagnosing, or treating cancer.

For more information on Clinical Trials and Clinical Research Studies, please visit any of the sites below:

Why are Clinical Trials Important?

Clinical trials show us what works in medicine. They are the best way for doctors to decide what is safe and effective in treating diseases such as cancer. Many of today's standard treatments for cancer began in clinical trials. Many people who receive treatment for cancer are now living longer thanks to the knowledge gained through clinical trials.

What are the different types of Clinical Trials?

There are four types of clinical trials, all important in finding new innovative ways to lessen the burden of cancer.

Treatment Trials test new treatments (like a new cancer drug, new approaches to surgery or radiation therapy, new combinations of treatments, or new methods such as gene therapy).

Prevention Trials test new approaches, such as medicines, vitamins, minerals, or other supplements that doctors believe may lower the risk of a certain type of cancer. These trials look for the best way to prevent cancer in people who have never had cancer or to prevent cancer from coming back or a new cancer occurring in people who have already had cancer.

Screening Trials test the best way to find cancer, especially in its early stages.

Quality of Life Trials (also called Supportive Care Trials) explore ways to improve comfort and quality of life for cancer patients.

What are the phases of Clinical Trials?

Most clinical research that involves the testing of a new drug progresses in an orderly series of steps, called phases. This allows researchers to ask and answer questions in a way that results in reliable information about the drug and protects the patients. Clinical trials are usually classified into one of four phases:

Phase I Clinical Trials: Is the Treatment Safe? – These studies are the first ones to involve people as participants. Although the treatment has been well tested in laboratory and animal studies, the side effects in people can't always be predicted. For this reason, these studies usually include small numbers of people (15-40) and are generally reserved for those who do not have good treatment options left to them. Often, people with different types of cancer are eligible for the same study. These studies are usually conducted in major cancer centers.

Phase II Clinical Trials: Does It Work? – If a new treatment is found to be reasonably safe in phase I clinical trials, the treatment can then be tested for effectiveness in a phase II clinical trial. Usually, a group of anywhere from 25-100 patients with the same type of cancer receive the new treatment in a phase II study. They are treated using the dose and method that were determined to be the safest in the phase I study. In a typical phase II clinical trial, participants all receive the same dose, and no placebo is involved. Phase II studies are often conducted at major cancer centers but may also be done in community hospitals or even doctors' offices.

Phase III Clinical Trials: Is It Better Than What's Already Available? – Treatments that show a certain level of effectiveness in phase II studies must go through one more stage of testing before being considered for general use. Phase III clinical trials compare the safety and effectiveness of the new treatment against the current standard treatment. Phase III clinical trials require a large number of patients, usually at least several hundred. These studies are generally conducted in many places across the country (or even across the world) at the same time.

Phase IV Clinical Trials: Is There a Better Way to Use Them? – When a treatment is shown to be more effective and/or safer than the current standard treatment in a phase III clinical trial, it is submitted for approval to the FDA. Based on the results of the clinical trials, the FDA decides whether or not it is appropriate for use in the general public. When this happens, the treatment often becomes the new standard of care, and newer drugs must be tested against it before being approved. Phase IV studies look at drugs that have already received FDA approval. Therefore they are already available for doctors to give to patients. These studies, however, are still needed to answer important questions. The type of questions, which may not be critical for getting a medicine to market, that are often addressed in phase IV clinical trials are:
- Would the medicine work better if given twice a week instead of once a week?
- Are 6 months of treatment better than 4 months?
- Are there rare side effects that haven't been seen yet?

Why participate in Clinical Trials?

By participating in a clinical trial, patients have access to the latest drugs or procedures and are among the first to receive potentially effective new therapies. Studies have shown that trial participants have outcomes that are as good as, if not better than, those who do not participate, even if they get the standard of care and not the treatment that is being tested.

Who conducts Clinical Trials?

Cancer clinical trials are sponsored by various organizations in both government and industry, including cooperative groups, academic medical centers, community oncology centers, federal agencies, and pharmaceutical companies. They are conducted at thousands of sites throughout the United States every year.

What kinds of Clinical Trials are available to me in Pennsylvania?

In addition to the Pennsylvania Clinical Trials Network, please see the links below to search for active clinical trials in Pennsylvania:

What kinds of Clinical Trials are available to me, nationally?

The following websites will allow you to search for available Clinical Trials nationwide:

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