Advances in medicine and science are the results of new ideas and approaches developed through research. New cancer treatments must prove to be safe and effective in scientific studies with a certain number of patients before they can be made widely available.

A clinical trial is a research study that uses human volunteers to answer specific health questions. Interventional trials determine whether experimental treatments or new ways of using known therapies are safe and effective under controlled environments. Observational trials address health issues in large groups of people or populations in natural settings.

Through clinical trials, researchers learn which approaches are more effective than others. This is the best way to test a new treatment. Today's standard treatments were first shown to be effective in clinical trials. Additional trials will help find new and better treatments.

Participants in clinical trials can: play a more active role in their own health care, gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available and help others by contributing to medical research.

See a list of all of the clinical trials available through the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota.