Mesothelioma Clinical Trials

While there is no cure for mesothelioma, clinical trials are currently underway to find new, safe and effective forms of treatment. If you are interested in partaking in a clinical trial for mesothelioma, it is important educate yourself on clinical testing and discuss this treatment option with your doctor. View a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Directory

Clinical Trials for Mesothelioma Patients

Promising new mesothelioma drugs or treatments must be well-tested before the FDA can approve them for patient use. After extensive testing is performed on animals, several rounds of clinical studies will be conducted on humans to determine the safety and effectiveness of the new drug or treatment. Patients who partake in mesothelioma clinical trials can benefit by receiving new and more powerful treatment methods. However, patients who choose to participate in a mesothelioma clinical trial should also understand its risks.

Although immense efforts are made to insure the safety of a patient participating in a clinical trial, risks still remain. Before making a decision to participate in a clinical trial, it is crucial to learn as much as possible about the trial and to discuss the possible risks and benefits with your doctor. Some of the potential risks and benefits may be:

Benefits and Risks of Clinical Trials

Potential Benefits:

• Health care provided by leading physicians in cancer research
• Access to new drugs before they become available to the general public
• The new treatment may be more effective than standard treatment options
• Part of your treatment may be free of charge
• Taking a proactive role in your treatment
• The chance to make a contribution to cancer research

Potential Risks:

• New drugs may have unknown side effects
• New drugs may be ineffective or less effective than another course of treatment available
• A treatment that works effectively on one person, may not work on another because individuals respond differently to treatment

For in-depth information on the risks and benefits of mesothelioma clinical trials, please read Clinical Trials: Risks and Benefits.

Phases of Mesothelioma Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are usually separated into four phases: Phase I, Phase II, Phase III and Phase IV. Understanding what each phase means can also help when choosing whether to participate in a mesothelioma clinical trial.

Phase I mesothelioma clinical trial: This is the first step in testing a new treatment method on humans. Because the side effects of the drug or treatment are relatively unknown, Phase I trials usually only recruit 20 to 80 participants. These trials aim to determine the safety and side effects of the treatment, along with an appropriate dosage.

Phase II mesothelioma clinical trial: The drug or treatment is tested on a larger group of participants, usually no more than 300. This phase aims to discover if the treatment is effective for a specific disease, or group of diseases, and to further test its safety.

Phase III mesothelioma clinical trial: This is the last step before the drug can be approved. These trials usually employ between 1000 and 3000 participants allowing researchers to collect a larger amount of data. In order to confirm a treatment's effectiveness, Phase III clinical trials will compare the new method to an already established treatment.

Phase IV mesothelioma clinical trial: These are post-marketing studies that collect information on how the treatment works against other illnesses and how to best use the drug.

After understanding what each phase entails, the patient should speak with their doctor about the benefits and risks of a mesothelioma clinical trial. However, for many patients who have had little success with standard mesothelioma treatments, clinical trials can offer new hope.

For more information on clinical trials, read our mesothelioma clinical trials FAQs.

Finding a Mesothelioma Clinical Trial

To find a mesothelioma clinical trial, visit Clinicaltrials.gov. Clinicaltrials.gov is a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health that allows individuals to find clinical trials for their specific medical condition. With nearly 75,000 clinical trials in 167 countries, Clinicaltrials.gov provides information on participant eligibility, testing locations and the purpose of each trial.

The following websites may also be of use when searching for a mesothelioma clinical trial:

American Cancer Society
Website: American Cancer Society
Phone: 1-800-ACS-2345

National Cancer Institute
Website: National Cancer Institute
Phone: 1-800-4-CANCER

Center Watch
Website: Center Watch
Phone: Phone: 617-856-5900

Emerging Med
Website: Emerging Med

Veritas Medicine
Website: Veritas Medicine
Phone: 1-877-5-TRIALS

For more information on finding a mesothelioma clinical trial, please read How to Find a Clinical Trial.

Additional Clinical Trials Resources:

• Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Worksheet