Clinical Trials
Cancer Australia aims to improve consumer access to, and participation in, clinical cancer trials in Australia, in order to improve the standard of care for people affected by cancer through research.
There is presently no means for consumers to access consumer-friendly information about cancer clinical trials in Australia. The Australian Clinical Trials Registry provides some information about cancer clinical trials but does not always include the information consumers need to make decisions about joining trials, such as:
- stage of cancers (specific to each type of cancer)
- type of cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, gene therapy etc)
- travel requirements (intervention delivered at home, GP or local hospital, tertiary hospital)
- benefits to participants in a cancer clinical trial
- cost implications (eg whether participants are paid to participate or reimbursed for out of pocket costs, etc)
Cancer Australia is developing a web portal to provide consumer-friendly access to information about current cancer clinical trials around the country.
Providing easily understood information on cancer clinical trials will enable people affected by cancer to make an informed decision on the benefits of taking part.
The consumer portal is expected to be completed and on Cancer Australia’s website in 2009.