Hear From Clinical Trial Participants and Doctors

"More than 10 million Americans are living with cancer, more than ever before. It can be a difficult battle, but many are winning thanks to significant advances in medical research. … Empowerment, access, and choices – that's what clinical trials and the people that make them happen are all about."

-- Marcus Donley, MD, cancer clinical trial physician
(via: National Cancer Institute)

"Cancer patients and survivors should never stop seeking information and continuing their search for knowledge about cancer … There is a big misconception out there that you will get a placebo in a cancer clinical trial. The reality is that you will receive at least the standard therapy. People need to be aware that they are not going to get a sugar pill instead of treatment."

-- Lance Armstrong, survivor (testicular cancer)
(via: Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups)

"We never stop asking ourselves: ‘How do we better serve the patient?', ‘How do we minimize toxicity, risk, and complication more than the standard of care?', and ‘Will the patient's quality of life improve?'"

-- Haresh Jhangiani, MD, ClinicAid cancer clinical trial physician

"I always felt that I will get state-of-the-art treatment, that I was going to be monitored more than I've been. The monitoring – there's no better."

-- Anita, cancer clinical trial patient
(via: National Lung Cancer Partnership)

"When your doctor recommends that you participate in a clinical trial, you're being offered the ability to go one step farther than the standard treatment. To do a little more. And even though it's not proven, it may benefit you. … I didn't go into this without any fear. Trust me. But I feel like the fear made me more aggressive in my treatment, and now has given me a peace of mind that I've done the most I can do to battle this disease."

-- Mary Kay, cancer clinical trial patient
(via: National Cancer Institute)

"By volunteering, you're helping not only yourself but many others."

-- Christine, wife of cancer clinical trial patient
(via: National Cancer Institute)

"We wanted the latest in medication, the latest procedures, the latest information that we could get."

-- Evelyn, wife of cancer clinical trial patient
(via: National Cancer Institute)

"The treatments I've received, that have kept me alive this long – someone had to do the clinical trials to get those going. And I have benefited from that."

-- Curtis, cancer clinical trial patient
(via: National Cancer Institute)

"The benefit of a clinical trial is that this drug may be hopefully better than standard of care. … Because clinical trial patients are monitored much more frequently and thoroughly, many studies have shown that those patients tend to do better."

-- Joan H. Schiller, MD, Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology,
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Comprehensive Cancer Center
(via: National Lung Cancer Partnership)

Stories of Strength: Making the Decision to Enter a Lung Cancer Clinical Trial - Part 1 of 3

(National Lung Cancer Partnership video)

Stories of Strength: Making the Decision to Enter a Lung Cancer Clinical Trial - Part 2 of 3

(National Lung Cancer Partnership video)

Stories of Strength: Making the Decision to Enter a Lung Cancer Clinical Trial - Part 3 of 3

(National Lung Cancer Partnership video)