Booklet: What You Need to Know about Pancreatic Cancer

Clinical Trials

Many people with pancreatic cancer take part in clinical trials. Doctors conduct clinical trials to learn about the effectiveness and side effects of new treatments. In some clinical trials, all patients receive the new treatment. In other trials, doctors compare different therapies by giving the new treatment to one group of patients and the standard therapy to another group.

People who take part in these studies have the first chance to benefit from treatments that have shown promise in earlier research. They also make an important contribution to medical science.

In clinical trials for pancreatic cancer, doctors are studying different ways of giving radiation therapy, aiming the rays at the cancer during surgery or implanting radioactive material in the abdomen,. They also are exploring new ways of giving chemotherapy, new drugs and drug combinations, biological therapy, and new ways of combining various types of treatment. Some trials are designed to study ways to reduce the side effects of treatment and to improve quality of life.

People interested in taking part in a trial should talk with their doctor. They may want to read the National Cancer Institute booklet Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients Need To Know, which explains the possible benefits and risks of treatment studies.

One way to learn about clinical trials is through PDQ, a computerized resource developed by the National Cancer Institute. PDQ contains information about cancer treatment and about clinical trials in progress all over the country. The Cancer Information Service can provide PDQ information to patients and the public.

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