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Clinical Trials Information Guide

The purpose of this information guide is to direct patients and health care professionals to sources of information on cancer and related topics, it does not constitute an endorsement of the information contained in the resources. This list is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather to provide starting points for Information seeking. The materials can be found at the Patient Education Resource Center (PERC) at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in room B1-361.

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added 12/2010

Brochures & Fact Sheets

CancerCare

• "Clinical Trials: Improving the Care of People Living With Cancer" [PDF]
• Don't be Afraid of Clinical Trials: They Could Improve the Quality of Your Care

National Cancer Institute

• Introduction to Clinical Trials Fact Sheets
  • Cancer Clinical Trials
  • How do I Take Part in a Clinical Trial?
  • How is a Clinical Trial Planned and Carried Out?
  • How to Find a Cancer Treatment Trial: A 10-Step Guide
  • Participating in a Trial: Questions to Ask Your Doctor
  • Should I Take Part in a Clinical Trial?
  • What is a Clinical Trial?
• Taking Part in Cancer Treatment Research Studies.

Books

Speid, Lorna. Clinical Trials: What Patients and Healthy Volunteers Need to Know. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Audiovisual Resources

National Cancer Institute.

Understanding Clinical Trials. 2007. 17 min. DVD.
This DVD talks about types of clinical trials, how they are conducted, and what to think about if you consider participating in a trial.

An interactive tutorial on MedlinePlus.gov - Clinical Trials

• Access MedlinePlus.gov website at: www.medlineplus.gov
• Click on "Videos & Cool Tools"
• Click on "Interactive Tutorials"
• Under the heading "Surgery and Treatment Procedures," select "Clinical Trials"
  
  A slide show with voice-over and graphics explains the process and structure of clinical trials. It covers informed consent, protections for participants and how to locate clinical trials. It is possible to turn on a voice over or print a text version.

Web Resources

National Cancer Institute - Section on Clinical Trials

Part of cancer.gov, a service of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), this site provides explanations of the phase structure of clinical trials, the rights of participants, costs, and informed consent.

• To find trials, access the search form at: www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/search
• A step-by-step guide for searching the NCI's clinical trials database is available by clicking on the link "Help with This From" at the top of the search forms.

Another way to search the same database:

ClinicalTrials.gov

This National Library of Medicine site searches all of the National Institute of Health trials, including the National Cancer Institute database which is also searchable through cancer.gov as described before. The ClinicalTrials.gov search form may be better sometimes because it enables searching by keyword. This feature makes it possible to get more relevant hits when searching ClincalTrials.gov rather than cancer.gov. Click on "Search for Clinical Trials: to begin searching". Click on "Background Information," then "Understanding Clinical Trials" to see answers to frequently asked questions.

American Cancer Society - Section on Clinical Triasl

• Access the American Cancer Society website: cancer.org
• Click on: "Find Support and Treatment"
• Click on: "Treatments & Side Effects"
• Next to "Clinical Trials", click on: "Read More"
  Learn about clinical trials and find information to help you decide if a clinical trial is right for you. This site includes information on the American Cancer Society's Clinical Trials Matching Service, which is a free program to help cancer patients find clinical trials that they may be eligible for.

Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups

The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups site covers myths about clinical trials, informed consent, insurance considerations and questions to ask the doctor. The search form includes nine simple questions. The site also includes the full text of the coalition's brochures and fact sheets, frequently asked questions and a glossary.

Locating Clinical Trials at the University of Michigan

UMClinicalStudies.org
The gateway to research studies at the University of Michigan Health System includes cancer clinical trials. Search by condition or use the search form to search by keyword and other categories.

 

This document is not intended to take the place of the care and attention of your personal physician or other professional medical services. Our aim is to promote active participation in your care and treatment by providing information and education. Questions about individual health concerns or specific treatment options should be discussed with your physician.

 

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See also:
Browse Cancer Clinical Trials on UMClinicalStudies.org