TrialCheck® - A Clinical Trial Search Service Provided by LLS
About Cancer Clinical Trials
How is a Clinical Trial Planned and Organized?
Do Clinical Trials Differ From Standard Treatment?
Are Clinical Trials Safe?
The Informed Consent Process
Who Can Participate in a Cancer Clinical Trial?
How to Find Clinical Trials that Might be Right for You
Service Disclaimer

TrialCheck® - A Clinical Trial Search Service Provided by LLS

Easily find clinical trials near you through the LLS-supported TrialCheck® website, a clinical trial search service that offers patients and caregivers immediate access to listings of all leukemia, lymphoma and Myeloma and related blood cancer clinical trials. Answer just a few simple questions and a list of available clinical trials related to your cancer will appear in an easy to read list of search results.

Learn more about the benefits of clinical trials below.

About Cancer Clinical Trials

A cancer clinical trial is a carefully controlled research study conducted by
doctors to improve the care and treatment of cancer patients. A treatment that
is proven safe and effective in a cancer clinical trial is often approved by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a standard treatment if

• It is more effective or
• It has fewer side effects than the current standard treatment.

The purpose of clinical trials to treat leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes or other blood cancers is

• To improve treatment options, increase survival and
• Improve quality of life. 

Advances in treatment for blood cancers depend on clinical trials of new therapies or new combinations of therapies. Different types of cancer clinical trials are designed to develop and test new and better ways to

• Diagnose and treat cancer in people
• Prevent or relieve treatment side effects
• Help prevent a return of cancer
• Improve comfort and quality of life for people with cancer.

A clinical trial team is made up of doctors, nurses, social workers and
other healthcare professionals. The team members

• Check the health of each participant at the beginning of the trial
• Give specific instructions for taking part in the trial
• Monitor the health of each participant throughout the trial and
• In some cases, they may follow-up with patients after the trial is over.

Clinical trials do not include the extended or complete health care that would routinely be covered by a health plan. A patient's regular healthcare provider will coordinate with the research team to make sure that the other ongoing medications or treatments needed by the patient will not interfere with the study treatment.

Cancer clinical trials may be funded by an institution, such as the National Cancer Institute, or by organizations or companies, for example, pharmaceutical companies.

LLS is currently leading four primary state campaigns, and supporting five other state coalition-based efforts, which seek legislation that would increase access to cancer clinical trials. Click here for more information. 

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How is a Clinical Trial Planned and Organized?

Before a clinical trial begins, a new therapy is often developed and tested in a
laboratory. Then it is thoroughly tested in animals. If this early research (the preclinical testing) shows promise that the therapy might be safe and effective, a carefully planned and monitored clinical trial of the drug or treatment will then be conducted in people.

A cancer clinical trial is developed and led by experienced doctors who specialize in cancer research. They decide on

• The disease to be treated
• The treatment that will be tested
• The goal(s) of the study (sometimes called "endpoints")
• The type of patient who will be an appropriate participant in a study
• Ways to protect the participant's safety
• How much medicine or other treatment will be given to patients in the trial
• How long the treatment will be studied in the trial.

A trial may take place at just a few specific locations or it may be conducted from many different venues across the United States. In many cases, participants can get their treatments at various locations, which may include a large cancer center, a university hospital, a clinic, or a local medical center or the physician's office.

A cancer clinical trial is divided into four parts, called phases, each with a specific purpose. When each phase has been successfully completed the trial can move into the next phase.

Phases of Clinical Trials

Phase I.  Treatment is tested in a very small group of patients to determine its safety, the appropriate dose (amount), the best way of giving the treatment. Researchers watch patients closely for possible side effects of the treatment.

Phase II. Treatment is tested in a larger group of patients to determine whether and how well the treatment works. Researchers will also continue to monitor patient safety in phase II and throughout the trial.

Phase III. Phase II studies with positive results will move into phase III. Phase III trials are "randomized." This means a "treatment group" is compared to a "control group." In a randomized trial the treatment group is made up of large numbers of patients who receive the "study" treatment. The control group is made up of large numbers of patients who are being treated with the best standard treatment. The outcomes of the treatment for the two groups are compared at specific time intervals. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will approve a treatment if it "passes" phase III testing, including

• Meeting safety requirements and
• The treatment is more effective than standard treatment or
• Equally effective as standard treatment but has less toxic side effects.

Phase IV.  At this phase, the treatment has already been approved by the FDA. Phase IV studies are often performed to identify an additional use for an already approved drug or other treatment, gather additional safety and effectiveness information from a larger group of patients, and establish effectiveness in a subgroup of patients, for example, patients over age 65.

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Do Clinical Trials Differ From Standard Treatment?

Some ways that treatment in a trial differs from standard treatment are:

1. A patient's responses to treatment will be followed closely in a study. The patient may receive more tests during treatment and have more doctors' visits as part of the clinical trial than he or she would in your standard care setting.
2. Treatment routinely covered by health insurance or managed care plans may no longer be covered for patients enrolled in clinical trials. In some plans, coverage for patients who are receiving treatment as part of a clinical trial is set up differently.
3. A patient may not know if he or she is receiving the study treatment or the best standard treatment. This is because many cancer clinical trials compare two patient groups. However, Federal regulations require patients to be told if a placebo (a substance that looks the same as the treatment but is inactive) will be used in a trial. Placebos are not typically used with patients in cancer clinical trials.

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Are Clinical Trials Safe?

U.S. clinical trials are designed to give patients the safest, potentially most effective clinical therapies. The trials are conducted once researchers have shown in the laboratory and in animal research that a particular study treatment has a good chance of offering better outcomes for people with a specific disease.

All trials follow strict scientific and ethical principles. Every clinical trial has an action plan, called a "protocol." The same protocol is used by every doctor at each treatment center taking part in the trial.

Several processes are in place to ensure that trials are safe for patients, to provide oversight and to monitor trial protocols to make certain that study risks do not outweigh potential benefits and that randomization of treatment groups is conducted fairly and ethically.

For more information about safeguards see LLS's free booklet Understanding Clinical Trials for Blood Cancers.

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The Informed Consent Process

"Informed consent" is the name given to the ongoing interactive information
process that begins when a person first expresses interest in a clinical trial. "Informed consent" is also the term for a document that provides detailed written information about the trial.

The informed consent document includes

• Details about the study, such as its purpose and length (duration)
• Key contacts
• The examinations and lab tests that are needed with the treatment
• Study risks and potential benefits.

The informed consent process gives you

• A chance to ask questions - both during your first meeting and then at follow-up meetings - so you have the information you need to make a decision. People who need the services of a language interpreter may request one.
• Time to review the details of the study; you will be given written information so that that you can take it home, read it over, and discuss it with your doctor, family or others you trust.

You must agree to sign an informed consent document before you can begin the
trial protocol. It affirms that you fully understand the nature of the study. It is not a contract, though, and you are free to leave the study at any time, for any reason. 

New information may become available to the research team as the trial goes along. The clinical trial study design (protocol) may also change over time. The informed consent process requires that members of the research team update you when there are such changes. You may also be asked to sign a new informed consent document.

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Who Can Participate in a Cancer Clinical Trial?

Clinical trials are appropriate for people of different types and ages, depending on the purpose and phase of the trial. Study researchers develop patient eligibility criteria, which may include

• Disease type
• Patient age gender race
• Stage of disease
• Other treatments used by the patient
• The presence of any other illnesses or conditions.

A trial can be designed to test new treatment(s) that improve response rates or improve the quality of life of patients with newly diagnosed or very limited disease. In other words, clinical trials are not only for people with the most advanced disease.

Some trials might require that patients have tried standard treatment first; other trials may be for patients who have not had any previous treatment; or a trial may require a patient to allow a period of time before switching from a standard treatment to a study treatment. Some trials exclude patients with illnesses such as liver or kidney disease.

For more information about what patients need to know before about clinical trials, including examples of treatments offered through cancer clinical trials for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes and other blood cancers, see LLS's free booklet Understanding Clinical Trials for Blood Cancers.

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How to Find Clinical Trials That Might be Right for You

Begin by talking with your doctor about clinical trials as a treatment option. Once you and/or your doctor conclude that a clinical trial might be a good option for you, ask your doctor or another member of your healthcare team to contact the clinical trial team for you. The trial team will ask many questions related to your medical and treatment history to determine if the clinical trial is right for you.

LLS's Information Resource Center (IRC) staff are skilled in providing assistance to people searching for clinical trial programs. The IRC staff can help you to identify the information you will need about your diagnosis and treatment history to determine which trials you might be eligible for. They can help you develop a list of questions to ask your current doctor or the trial team about participating in a trial. You may reach the IRC by calling (800) 955-4572, using LLS's Live Help feature or by sending us an email.

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The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Clinical Trial Service Disclaimer
Information you receive through LLS's Clinical Trial Service is not intended to be complete or exhaustive, nor is it a substitute for the advice of your physician. Therefore, it is important to discuss the included information with your physician. Due to clinical trial protocols and specific eligibility criteria, the listings may change and/or may no longer be actively accruing patients.

Your physician is the only one who can determine if you meet the specific eligibility criteria listed in these trials. The search that was performed was a general search based on the information that was given. If you and your physician decide that you may benefit from one of the studies, your physician will need to contact the principal investigator in charge of the study to discuss your medical history and current health status. 

LLS does not provide medical or other healthcare opinions or services. The enclosure of another organization's / hospital's resource(s) does not indicate or imply that LLS endorses, recommends, or favors the enclosed information.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call the IRC at (800) 955-4572, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., ET.