May 4 marked the start of the first Clinical Trials Awareness Week, established by the Coalition for Clinical Trials Awareness to recognize the importance of clinical trial participation and the critical role of individuals and researchers in making new treatments available to patients. As a strong advocate of clinical trials for pancreatic cancer patients, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has become a member of the coalition. This week, we join other patient advocacy organizations, medical societies and research institutions to raise public awareness about the benefits of participating in a clinical trial.
As part of our ongoing commitment to informing patients about available clinical trials, our organization is launching a new Clinical Trial Finder later in May. This free online service will allow patients and caregivers to begin their own clinical trials searches by accessing the same comprehensive, up-to-date database of U.S. pancreatic cancer clinical trials that our PanCAN Patient Services Case Managers use to find trials for those who contact them. Of course, anyone who prefers to start a personalized trials search with a PanCAN Patient Services Case Manager instead of online is welcome to do so at any stage of their pancreatic cancer journey.
Developing new medical treatments is a long and complex process for scientific researchers. Without the patients who volunteer to participate in clinical trials, the advancement of scientific knowledge that may lead to innovative, safe and effective treatments would not be possible. Equally important, clinical trials give patients the opportunity to receive a new, potentially more effective treatment not available to the public (or the best available standard treatment) and expert overall healthcare and oversight from a clinical research team.
This Thursday, you can take part in a Clinical Trials Awareness Week Twitter chat to elevate the conversation about the need for increased participation in clinical trials. Join hundreds of individuals and organizations that believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn more about clinical trials. Here are the details:
- Date: Thursday, May 7, 2015
- Time: 2 – 3 p.m. EST
- Hashtag to use: #CTAW
To inquire about a free personalized clinical trials search, call PanCAN Patient Services at 877-272-6226, Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. PT, or complete our contact form.
To learn more about the Coalition for Clinical Trials Awareness, visit http://cctawareness.org/.