Advanced cancer care closer to home
Clinical trials are research studies in which people help doctors find ways to improve health and cancer care. Each study tries to answer scientific questions and to find better ways to prevent, diagnose or treat cancer. A clinical trial is one of the final stages of a long and careful cancer research process. Studies are done with cancer patients to find out whether promising approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment are safe and effective.
Different types of clinical trials:
- 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 returning 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.
Patients at the Baptist Centers for Cancer Care can participate in groundbreaking clinical trials through the Baptist Clinical Research Center - a hospital-based research service of the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation. Employing the combined resources of the Baptist system, principal investigators are currently participating in clinical trials with BCRC in the areas of oncology, cardiology, pulmonology and spirituality. This unique arrangement is an asset to a diverse population of more than one million people spread across a tri-state area.
Baptist, with its network of community hospitals, offers opportunity for research as well as treatment. As we put increased emphasis on research protocols, higher levels of care can be provided to patients and their families. The best care for cancer patients begins with the best research. As Baptist becomes more involved in clinical research protocols both locally and nationally, additional treatment options will be available to all physicians in the Baptist system and state-of-the-art care will be enhanced for Memphis and Mid-South residents.
For more information about clinic trials, visit the National Cancer Institute Web site.
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