Cancer clinical trials info on Internet

"Our ACT site covers trials offering the latest cancer-fighting drugs and other therapies that are now offered to patients at MUSC's Hollings Cancer Center," said Larry Afrin, M.D., the cancer center specialist who led the year-long effort to develop this unique information service.

"Many of these therapies may not be available at other medical centers for years, but if patients learn how to get involved in the trials at MUSC, they could benefit from them right away." Afrin said.

What is a clinical trial?

As the ACT site explains, clinical trials are done in many ways. Some trials study a particular aspect of one kind of treatment; others compare the effectiveness of two or more courses of treatment.

"At the very least, each participant gets the most effective standard therapy we have," Afrin said. "And many receive an additional drug or procedure that could be very helpful in fighting their cancer."

He said that patients benefit in other ways too. For example, all trial participants are closely monitored for side effects, so changes in therapy can be made immediately.

"There's also a long-term benefit from patient participation. Since these trials help doctors learn which treatments are better, each patient's experience helps identify more effective therapies for future." Afrin said.

Boosting trial participation

Most modern therapies were first given to patients in clinical trials, and each year the Hollings Cancer Center offers many of these trials to patients suffering from virtually every type of cancer.

"The ACT site is designed to help solve one of the most basic problems surrounding the clinical trials process," Afrin said. "Before they can take advantage of these new therapies, patients and their doctors need to know about them, and ACT makes it simple."

Although ACT now gives information only on cancer trials available at the Hollings Cancer Center, it will eventually expand to cover trials for other diseases. Plans also call for the site to be expanded to include information on trials available at other medical centers.

Physician first

Even after they become familiar with the site, Afrin urges patients to rely on their doctors as their primary source for cancer therapy information. "If it's used in conjunction with a physician's advice, this site can have it's best impact on a patient's understanding of cancer and the various treatments to help fight it," Afrin said. Development of the site was made possible, in part, through a generous grant from Ortho Biotech.

Easy to understand

All the information on the ACT site is presented in a non-medical, easy-to-read format that most patients should be able to understand. The site tells:

• what clinical trials are and how they can benefit participants
• which trials are currently open for different types of cancer
• how people qualify for the various clinical trials
• what kind of therapy any given trial includes
• who to contact for more information

If you, or someone you know, has been diagnosed with cancer, here's an Internet address you've got to check: http://act.musc.edu

The ACT! (About Clinical Trials) site is packed with easy to understand information on clinical trials, the programs that give you access to promising new cancer-fighting drugs and other therapies which may not be generally available for years. Most modern methods for treating cancer were first made available to patients through clinical trials like these.

ACT! can tell you about promising new developments for virtually every type of cancer. Why don't you ACT now and check it out!