Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, clinical research has continued to bring promising new treatments to cancer patients. Twenty-one new cancer drugs received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020 and some of these therapies were for difficult-to-treat cancers, such as triple-negative breast cancer.*
No other field of medicine is changing as rapidly as oncology. Over the past decade, literally hundreds of new medicines and new approaches for treating cancer have been developed and this has resulted in many more people surviving cancer than ever before. According to the National Cancer Institute, there are over 15 million cancer survivors in the United States, and approximately two million of them have survived for 20 years or longer. Some of the reasons cancer survival rates have dramatically increased can be linked directly to improvements in early detection methods, more advanced therapies, and genetic research and clinical trials, which are responsible for developing more effective drugs.
The future cures for various types of cancer will all come from clinical research, yet not many adult cancer patients participate in clinical trials. Why? In some instances, it is because clinical trials are misunderstood, and patients may fear being “a guinea pig.” In clinical trials for a life-threatening disease like cancer, no one who participates is ever treated like a guinea pig. In fact, such great precautions are taken on behalf of patients who participate in clinical trials that, many times, their cancer treatment goes beyond standard care protocols.
*Source: American Association for Cancer Research
Debunking the Myths
Patients who are considering participating in a clinical trial for cancer are often concerned that they might be given a placebo or a drug that will prove to be ineffective. The truth is that in some types of clinical trials (specifically those that are investigating something simple such as a new cold medication) some participants are given only a placebo. However, in clinical trials for cancer, a participant is never given anything less than the current standard of care.
All participants in oncologic clinical trials will be given the best standard treatment available for their particular type of cancer… then, in addition to that standard treatment, they may be given the new drug that is being tested or a placebo. No participant is ever given a placebo alone.
Increased Participation in Clinical Trials Means Faster Approval for New Treatments
According to the American Cancer Society, hundreds of promising new cancer drugs and therapies are currently undergoing research. The average time for a new drug to be approved is seven years, and many times clinical trials cannot be conducted because of a lack of patient participation. If more cancer patients participated in clinical trials, there would be more new drugs available sooner in the future. Don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of finding the cures for cancer.
Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) offers access to more national clinical trials than any other community oncology practice in Florida. If you qualify to participate in a clinical trial, you can do so from the comfort and convenience of your local FCS cancer center.
WORLD-CLASS CANCER
TREATMENT CLOSE TO HOME
Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) has a statewide network of expert, board-certified physicians who bring world‐class cancer treatments to local communities, large and small, in locations throughout Florida. FCS is also a strategic partner with Sarah Cannon, one of the leading research and clinical trial organizations in the world. This alliance provides FCS patients access to the newest, most innovative and most promising new treatments.
FCS treats patients with all types of cancer and offers a number of services, including an in-house specialty pharmacy, an in-house pathology lab and financial counselors at every location.
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Port Charlotte, FL 33980
Venice Island
901 South Tamiami Trail
Venice, FL 34285
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836 Sunset Lake Blvd,
Suite 101
Venice, FL 34292
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Englewood, FL 34223-3992
For more information, visit FLCancer.com
