Anyone have experience with Clinical Trials? - Cancer Message Board

Bodendo · 11-10-2004, 10:45 AM

I was just wondering if anyone here has had experience with any cancer clinical trials. If so, was it good/bad? Would you recomend them?

gailbanks · 11-13-2004, 12:40 PM

Get allthe information you can about anyone you may select. Don't let the test use it as a ginnie pig, that may just killyou. some are great, and help you as well as research, but some are just too tuff. take your time and think it out hard. gail

Ruth6:11 · 11-14-2004, 07:14 AM

I think that if someone who has terminal Stage IV cancer wants to help out medical science by contributing to the store of knowledge about different new & untested chemicals they should be able to do so. Who knows whether they may end up making the difference in a cure in a clinical trial.

If one wants to maximize the time they have left with their loved ones just a reminder that chemo of any sort (like in clinical trials) are serious business and can leave one feeling pretty bad on top of the cancer itself (pain management can do a pretty good job there).

My dad chose clinical trials.
If I were in the same spot today as he was I would call Hospice and do whatever I could for as long as I could.

It really is an individual choice for that one person to make...

mwessell · 11-20-2004, 03:53 PM

The clinical trial my friend was in for melanoma sucked. She suffered way too much, the doctors had no compassion and the worst part was: on her death certificate, the cause of death was listed as sepsis, not cancer.

A tumor in her belly perforated her bowel and ultimately she died from the sepsis. But wouldn't you think that since a cancerous tumor in her belly caused this (not to mention the fact that she also had cancer in her brain, kidneys, pancreas, liver, bones and both breasts) they would list the cause of death as cancer? Of course not...because if they do, it puts a big black mark on their results of the trial. It could jeopordize future funding for clinical trials. It all comes down to the dollar.