Research and Clinical Trials
Cascade Healthcare Community / St. Charles Medical Center serves as the primary cancer research facility for Central and Eastern Oregon. Our patients have access to some of the most promising new cancer treatments through clinical trials in cancer surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and supportive care.
Clinical trials (also called "clinical research studies") evaluate new treatments that either haven’t been approved to date by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or are not approved for the new use being tested.
What's new in clinical trials at St. Charles
Locally, advanced breast cancer is being evaluated in a number of National Cancer Institute supported neo-adjuvant clinical trials. In these trials, women will be treated with systemic therapy before surgery is performed. In this way, the benefits of treatment can be monitored, systemic therapy can be delivered earlier, and optimal outcomes can be evaluated.
Treatments will be tailored to each breast cancer's unique characteristics (HER2+, estrogen sensitive or triple negative). With this multi-disciplinary approach, surgical therapy will be less extensive, breast conservation more likely, and long-term prognosis more accurate.
Additional clinical trials are being developed to evaluate maintenance therapy for patients that do not achieve optimal benefit from neo-adjuvant treatment. Information gained from these studies will better define the intensity and duration of therapy required to cure women with breast cancer.
Why are clinical trials important for patients?
- In general, clinical trials are the only way for patients to be treated with the new and potentially breakthrough therapies.
- Patients can receive treatments that are otherwise only available at research centers.
- By being in a clinical trial, patients have a bigger team providing their care. They receive increased monitoring and attention from their doctors, nurses and administrators, and from national experts charged with reviewing the conduct and results of the trial.
- Clinical trials offer an alternative when the cancer becomes resistant to treatment or has recurred. By being in a clinical trial, a patient is more likely to access other clinical trials in the future.
- All advances in clinical care of patients with cancer have come from research. Participating in a clinical trial helps move cancer treatment forward, just as those who participated in the past have helped today’s patients.
How does it work?
- Before agreeing to participate in a clinical trial, each patient is provided a full understanding of the trial. This is called "informed consent."
- Information includes the trial’s purpose, potential risks, benefits and the type of trial it is, such as if a new drug is being compared to a currently used drug, or if drugs are being tested in combination.
- Every patient participating in a clinical trial may choose to withdraw at any time.
- Persons in clinical trials are not guinea pigs. The minimum a patient receives is the standard of therapy. Placebos ("sugar pills") are rarely used.
What about safety and financial concerns?
- Most cancer clinical trials have been shown to be of similar cost to standard care.
- Clinical trials are covered by Medicare and most private insurers.
- All clinical trials must meet rigorous federal guidelines to protect patients. Every trial is monitored carefully by local and national review groups, which include medical and ethical experts. The results are continuously evaluated, patient by patient.
- The vast majority of clinical trials have been safe and well-tolerated.
- Every patient participating in a clinical trial may choose to withdraw at any time.
- Clinical trials are constantly evaluated. If a treatment is found to be beneficial, it is approved by the FDA and made readily available so that the maximum number of patients can benefit.
- If a new treatment is found not to be better than current treatment, the trial is stopped as soon as this result is known.
What clinical trials are available?
- Central Oregon physicians participate in national cancer prevention and treatment programs sponsored by (partial listing):
How do I get involved?
For more information, consult your physician, or contact Janice McDaniel, CRA, or Archie Bleyer, MD, in the St. Charles Cancer Research Department at (541) 706-2659.