How Do Clinical Trials Work? Cancer Expert Explains It All

July 1, 2021
Brielle Benyon
Brielle Benyon

Brielle Benyon, Assistant Managing Editor for CURE®, has been with MJH Life Sciences since 2016. She has served as an editor on both CURE and its sister publication, Oncology Nursing News. Brielle is a graduate from The College of New Jersey. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, CrossFit and wishing she had the grace and confidence of her toddler-aged daughter.

Will patients be given a placebo? Are clinical trials safe? An expert answers these questions and more.

Cancer clinical trials are essential to finding new therapies and improving outcomes. However, with a range of trial types and processes, patients often have many questions. Are trials safe? Will I get a placebo? Will my trial lead to an FDA approval?

In this episode of the “CURE® Talks Cancer” podcast, we asked all these common questions to Dr. Suzanne George, Clinical Director, Center for Sarcoma and Bone Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. George is currently leading a trial for patients with a rare sarcoma subtype called gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), and highlighted the importance of trial participation and what patients can expect.

“We owe it to patients with rare tumors to ensure that we have clinical trial. opportunities and novel therapeutics to understand better those diseases, whether rare or common, because when it happens to you, it's happening to you,” she said.

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