Clinical Trials

Stomach Cancer Clinical Trials

Stomach Cancer Clinical Trials can offer options for patients diagnosed at any phase of the disease. And they include treatment as well as diagnosis and prevention.

Overall, clinical trials are studies that help determine whether new methods, medicines, or therapies can work as better solutions than those existing.

Furthermore, clinical trials can be open to patients from all walks of life. But each trial has its own criteria. For instance, specific cancers, stages, etc.

Below is a series of informative videos detailing clinical trials from our friends at Stand Up To Cancer – SU2C.

About Clinical Trials

Cancer clinical trials help determine if research in the laboratory works as expected in real patients.

So clinical trials help determine if a new treatment is safe, effective and better than existing options.

Phases Of Clinical Trials

Stomach cancer clinical trials operate just like all other clinical trials. Therefore they are categorized by different phases.

So each phase of a clinical trial is designed to address a specific question. And those phases are as follows:

Phase I – Is it safe?
Phase II – Does it work?
Phase III – Is it better?
Phase IV – How is it doing?

Here’s an education video from SU2C explaining clinical trial phases.

Standard Of Care

Standard of Care is the phrase used to describe how a disease, like stomach cancer, is typically treated. So this is where clinical trials can be something to consider.

Also, the standard of care can be referred to as the standard of treatment. Either way, it references how a disease has been treated up until now.

Many factors are considered when determining the standard of care for any stomach cancer patient. And those can include; age, gender, ethnicity, family history, lifestyle, and more.

Watch another helpful explainer video below.

Randomized Controlled Trials

Randomized controlled trials help determine if a clinical trial treatment has fewer side effects and is better than the existing standard of care.

So in these trials, some participants receive the experimental treatment while others receive the care standard.

Placebos

Placebos are rarely used in cancer clinical trials.

Only when there’s a cancer clinical trial without a known effective treatment will a control group be given a placebo.

And you will always be informed if a placebo is used in a study.

Biopsies In Stomach Cancer Clinical Trials

Biopsies are often used in stomach cancer clinical trials. Because with of all the tests and scans nothing really compares to examining the actual cancer cells.

Moreover, each patients’ cancer, circumstances and treatment are different and need to be addressed that way as well.

Watch more from SU2C below.

Informed Consent For Stomach Cancer Clinical Trials

Like all clinical trials, stomach cancer clinical trials involve accepting informed consent. And informed consent is a process that documents your knowledge and awareness of the various aspects of the clinical trial.

However, part of the process includes a research team member walking you through all of the details of the clinical trial. Plus this includes covering all of the questions you may have about the clinical trial. That means explaining the potential benefits and risks involved. As well as all about the study and what to expect throughout participation.