Patients in cancer clinical trials have outcomes as good as, if not better, than those who do not participate, even if they receive the standard therapy. Payment Of The Routine Care Costs In Cancer Clinical Trials Clinical trials are a crucial aspect of a progressive health care system offering the access to the highest quality cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are the only way in which to generate statistically valid health outcome data.
These data are crucial for the development of new treatments, establishing the relative efficacy of existing treatment alternatives, and elimination of outdated treatments. Clinical trials offer patients access to the latest treatments before these become generally available and the potential benefit from closer surveillance and follow-up. Currently fewer than 5 percent of all adult cancer patients are treated in the setting of a clinical trial despite the benefits patients might realize through their participation. This as compared to 60 percent of pediatric cases in the U.S. and as much as a third of adult cancer patients in Europe who are treated in the setting of a clinical trial. Why participation in clinical trials is so low among U.S. adults has been addressed in a number of studies.