Structures Supporting Cancer Clinical Trials
Summary of Key Points
• Cancer clinical trials provide the evidence on which sound oncology practice is based.
• Providing a greater efficiency in implementing clinical trials and achieving enrollment rapidly has been a major goal of the National Cancer Institute, cancer centers, the biopharmaceutical industry, and patient advocacy groups.
• Physicians in private practice have many opportunities to participate in clinical trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and/or the biopharmaceutical industry.
• Physicians and patients have online access to all U.S. sponsored clinical trials at clinicaltrials.gov and have access to additional information about cancer trials at cancer.gov.
• Successful participation in clinical trials includes the following clinical components:
• Affiliation with an institution or network that provides scientific and administrative support, such as the following:
Biopharmaceutical industry network
Access to an authorized Institutional Review Board
Access to adequate laboratory facilities to process protocol-required specimens
Adherence to good clinical practices
Accurate and timely data reporting
