Clinical Trials and Genetic Testing

Clinical trials represent one of the final stages in the long and careful cancer research process. Only treatments that offer promising results in laboratory tests are used in clinical studies involving people. There are no guarantees, however, that a new treatment will produce good results.  Patients should join a study only after they understand both the possible risks and benefits. People who join a clinical study is carefully monitored by a team of cancer experts and fully informed of all the facts of the study before they decide to enroll.

Each trial has certain requirements for participation. Your study doctor will take your medical history and may request additional testing to determine if you are eligible according to the criteria for the study.

There are many reasons why people take part in research studies. Often it gives them a chance to access a medicine not yet available on the market. In these cases, the study is being performed to find out if the treatment works and if it is safe. This means that there is some unknown information about the drug and it is considered experimental. The process of collecting information in the study also allows the study doctor to find out more about the disease and the effects it has on patients. This may benefit you directly or the information gathered may be of help to other patients with the same condition. Many patients derive satisfaction from knowing that they are part of the effort to potentially help other people.

If you choose to participate in a clinical trial, you have the right to:

  1. Know what the study is attempting to accomplish.
  2. Know whether procedures, drugs, or devices are different from what would be used in regular practice.
  3. Know risks and/or benefits of the study.
  4. Know the choices you have and how participating in the study may influence them.
  5. Ask questions before, during, and after participating in the study.
  6. Know what types of medical treatment are available to you if you have any problems and who will pay for this treatment.
  7. Refuse to participate or to withdraw from a study at any time without your medical treatment being affected in any way.
  8. Receive a copy of the consent form.
  9. Make an independent, informed decision without feeling pressured about enrolling in a study.
  10. Understand that participation is always voluntary.

For more information contact Nancy Engle, Pluta Cancer Center Research Coordinator, at nengle@plutacancercenter.org or 585-486-0560.

Genetic Testing
Approximately seven percent of women with breast cancer and ten percent of women with ovarian cancer develop their disease because they have inherited a change in either one of two genes known as BRCA1 or BRCA2. Testing for BRCA mutations (significant changes in the gene sequence) allows for more targeted medical management options for the tested individual and family members. Pluta patients interested in genetic testing should speak with their medical oncologist.