
A treatment that works against cancer in a mouse might or might not work in people. Humans and mice can be very different in the way they absorb, process, and get rid of drugs or treatments. Pre-clinical studies give a lot of useful information, but not all that is needed. This gives researchers an idea of how safe the new treatment is in a living creature. Animal studies: Treatments that look promising in cell studies are tested next on cancers in live animals.These studies may be done on human cancer cells or animal cancer cells. To see if it might work, researchers look for effects of the new treatment on cancer cells that are grown in a lab dish or a test tube. Cell studies: These are often the first tests done on a new treatment.Pre-clinical studies, also called laboratory studies, include: Pre-clinical (or laboratory) studiesĬlinical trials are done only after pre-clinical findings suggest that the new drug or treatment is likely to be safe and will work in people. Results from these phases show if the new drug or treatment is reasonably safe and effective. Is this treatment better than the standard treatment given for this disease? Clinical trials help show if a new drug or treatment, or a new treatment combination, works better than what is now used.Īnswering these questions, while giving as few people as possible an unknown treatment, often requires several clinical trials in different “phases.” Each phase is designed to answer certain questions while keeping the people taking part as safe as possible.But do the benefits of the new treatment outweigh the risks? Is the new treatment safe? No treatment or procedure – even one already in common use – is without risk.Is it better than treatment now being used? If it’s not better, is it as good and cause fewer side effects? Or does it work in some people who aren’t helped by current treatments? Does the new treatment work in people? If it does, doctors will also look at how well it works.Clinical trials are designed to answer some important questions: They are the best way to learn what works in treating diseases like cancer. Why do we need clinical trials?Ĭlinical trials show us what works (and what doesn’t) in medicine and health care. It can take months, if not years, to see if a cancer treatment does what it is meant to do. Cancer clinical trials can take years to complete. All new treatments must go through clinical trials before being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Clinical trials are important in developing new treatments for serious diseases like cancer. Researchers still use human volunteers to test these methods, and the same rules apply.ĭoctors use clinical trials to learn whether a new drug, treatment, or combination works and is safe to use for people.


Some even look at ways to prevent diseases from happening. Many clinical trials look at new ways to detect, diagnose, or measure the extent of disease. Clinical trials are studies to test new drugs, already approved drugs, devices, or other forms of treatments.
