4,000 Cancer Clinical Trials: Which ONE is Right for Me?

by David Fuehrer

If you or a loved one needs treatment for cancer how do you know which option is right?  The American Cancer Society says “trying to understand your treatment options can be overwhelming.” There are many types of treatments used against cancer, including traditional therapies and newer forms of treatment in clinical trials.

As a two-time cancer survivor and healthcare professional, I’ve learned a lot about treatment.  The most important lesson I’ve learned is that every person is unique.  What’s right for you may not be right for someone else.

Knowing your options is critical to making informed decisions.
Many physicians and support communities recommend that all patients consider clinical trials when exploring treatment options.

“No matter what stage your disease, you want to find out what all the options are right from the beginning.  The very best treatment may involve a clinical trial.”

Max S. Wicha MD, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center

Max S. Wicha MD, University of Michigan
Comprehensive Cancer Center

Clinical trials offer access to new treatments that are not otherwise available.  They provide extra check-ups to look for response to treatment and possible treatment side effects.  Clinical trials also offer the possibility of paying for part or all of your medical care during the trial.  They are an important resource for anyone fighting cancer.

But with 4,000 cancer clinical trials enrolling in the U.S., how do we understand the options?  These are FDA-regulated trials; sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, pharmaceutical companies and leading hospitals.  But each trial has a unique purpose, treatment type and patient requirements.  There is a lot to consider.

Ninety four percent of Americans have never been informed by their doctors of clinical trials in which they might participate.  The top reasons doctors don’t refer patients into clinical trials are lack of information on treatments and lack of access. (Source: Center for Information & Study on Clinical Research Participation http://www.ciscrp.org/professional/facts_pat.html).

A new resource for patients and healthcare professionals.
I co-founded CureLauncher with an FDA-Regulatory Advisor to help patients, caregivers and medical professionals identify their new treatment options.  CureLauncher provides three important resources that previously have been unavailable: CureLauncher Staff

  • Translated trial information so its easy-to-understand
  • Access to 100% of the enrolling clinical trials
  • Matches to clinical trials based on a patient’s unique goals and conditions

Our Relationship Managers start with a simple 10-question conversation about each patient. This information enables us to match people to clinical trials that may be appropriate for them.  Our team then reviews all of the study information with them and sends summaries to review with family and the medical team.

When a patient is interested in enrolling in a trial, CureLauncher is the only service that will call the trial site to schedule an appointment on behalf of the patient. All of our services are provided at no cost to the patient or medical team.  CureLauncher is paid from the clinical trial budgets.

CureLauncher is your personal advocate. Our mission is to empower patients and medical professionals to know all of their new treatment options.  Clinical trials may not be right for everyone.  But they are an important resource that everyone should be able to consider.   To learn more about CureLauncher or clinical trials, you can visit www.curelauncher.com or call our team at 800-488-6632.

Dave Fuehrer is a two-time cancer survivor and President of CureLauncher.  The organization matches people to new treatments for cancer based on their unique goals and conditions.  www.curelauncher.com has translated all enrolling cancer clinical trials into easy-to-understand information.  It is the only service that gives people access to ALL enrolling cancer clinical trials.  Prior to CureLauncher, Dave was an Innovation Consultant for Pfizer, General Electric and many others.  He has helped launch new products and services across North America, Europe and China.  Dave has an MBA in Technology Management and has completed Executive Education and Harvard Business School and MIT.   

 

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