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Clinical Trials
Clinical Trials
A clinical trial is a research study that is carefully designed to determine the effectiveness of a new treatment by an actual trial in selected patients. Each trial is carefully designed to provide answers to specific questions about the effectiveness of the new agent or procedure. This is the type of research that has led to the spectacular improvements in treatment and increasing cures of children with cancer. It is the principal COG research activity.
Many experts are involved in the development of a clinical trial. For each new trial, groups of clinical and laboratory researchers, statisticians, nurses and other experts, plan how the trial should be designed to obtain scientific answers to specific questions.
Experts within COG review the trial. It is then sent to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for review and approval. The hospital Institution Review Board (IRB) must review and approve each trial before any patients are entered on the trial. An IRB is a senior hospital committee that reviews each clinical trial to determine the potential risks and benefits of all research participants and to ensure the protection of all patients.
It is important to know that each trial undergoes many reviews by many different experts within and outside of COG before any patients may be entered on the trial.
The Childhood Cancer Foundation Canada is a proud funder and supporter of COG activity in Canada. COG has joined forces with the National Childhood Cancer Foundation in the United States in a CureSearch campaign to find a cure for all childhood cancers.
For a complete, searchable listing on the CureSearch Web site of all COG based clinical trials, please click here.
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