Exploring Your Options: Cancer Clinical Trials

Many individuals decide to play an active role in their own health care by participating in a clinical trial.  There are numerous reasons to participate in a clinical trial -- from access to new and alternative treatments, to personalized expert medical attention, to the desire to leave a legacy by helping the advancement of medicine.

What is a clinical trial?

Clinical trials are part of clinical research and at the heart of all medical advances. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease.

Treatments might be new drugs or new combinations of drugs, new surgical procedures or devices, or new ways to use existing treatments.

The goal of clinical trials is to determine if a new test or treatment works and is safe. Clinical trials can also look at other aspects of care, such as improving the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses, such as cancer.

How does Cancer Care Ontario support clinical trials?

Cancer Care Ontario does not conduct clinical trials, but they do provide funding support to the Ontario Clinical Oncology Group , an organization that carries out clinical trials in Ontario and across Canada.

How do I join a clinical trial?

Your physician can help you find out if there is a clinical trial appropriate for you.

Click here for more information about clinical trials in Canada.