Types of Clinical Trials
A woman at any point in her experience with ovarian cancer may be eligible for a clinical trial.
Many women only think of clinical trials as an option for the treatment of their cancer, and often only after other treatments have failed them. There are a lot of trials for women in this situation, but many other equally important trials are also available.
For example, we still do not have a test to detect ovarian cancer early or screen women at their annual exams, like a Pap smear does for cervical cancer. These tests would come from diagnostic and screening clinical trials.
Here are the different types of ovarian cancer clinical trials. Some studies may fall under a few different trial types because they aim to answer questions relevant to several aspects of patient care.
Prevention Trials
Prevention trials test ways to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. They typically enroll healthy women who are at high risk for developing the disease or women who have had it and want to prevent its return or reduce the chance of developing a new type of cancer.
Screening Trials
Screening trials look for ways to detect ovarian cancer early in healthy women.
Diagnostic Trials
Diagnostic trials seek to develop better ways to diagnose and care for women with ovarian cancer. They usually include women who have already had ovarian cancer or who have signs and symptoms of it. Many of the current diagnostic trials in ovarian cancer focus on proteomics, which involves evaluating the levels of different proteins in the blood.
Treatment Trials
Treatment trials determine what new treatments or combinations of existing treatments can help women who have ovarian cancer. They evaluate a new treatment' effectiveness or a new way to use an existing treatment. (Note that a treatment may be a drug, therapy, vaccine, surgery or any combination of these.) There are many treatment trials available for women with ovarian cancer. Most explore the effectiveness of different combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, and, in some cases, biologic therapies in fighting ovarian cancer
Quality-of-Life/Supportive Care Trials
Quality-of-life/supportive care trials aim to improve quality of life for ovarian cancer patients, survivors and their families.
Genetics Trials
Genetics trials are usually part of another clinical trial and try to determine how a woman's genetic makeup can influence the detection, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of ovarian cancer. (Note that there are also family-based genetic research studies, which differ from cancer clinical trials, where multiple high-risk family members may give blood and tissue and agree to be evaluated on an annual basis for many years.) |
