Should You Take Part in Clinical Trials?

By Kyle Roderick
ThirdAge Staff

Sure, medical TV shows like "ER" are exciting, but so too are the medical dramas and triumphs happening all the time in real-world clinical trials. Designed to answer a set of research questions about new therapies, clinical trials call on human volunteers to test new drugs or surgical procedures that have not yet been approved for use.

Some people decide to volunteer for clinical trials because they're dissatisfied with the remedies available for their condition. Others are perfectly healthy but want to assist in the creation of new drugs or surgical procedures, or have an interest in helping promote the advancement of a particular therapeutic area.

CenterWatch is a clinical trial listing service that offers a confidential Patient Notification Service by e-mail. Signing up indicates only your interest in receiving information about clinical trials in the areas that you specify; this can be extremely helpful to patients and family members seeking information that their physicians may lack.

According to Philadelphia breast cancer survivor Siri Levinte, "I use the Internet to obtain information about participating in clinical trials, or learn about the latest pharmaceutical drugs approved by the FDA."

Levinte recommends checking the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, which reports the findings of clinical trials for cancer and AIDS research, as well as drugs recently approved by the FDA.

While it's easy to search various Internet sites for government-funded and industry-sponsored clinical trials actively recruiting patients in the U.S. and internationally, you should always check with your physician before taking part in any medical research project.

One man, who was battling lung cancer, wanted to participate in a cancer drug trial, but his doctor dissuaded him. This turned out to be a good thing, as the drug ended up causing some debilitating side effects in many of the volunteers. For national cancer trial information, see the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Trials site.