At UPCI we have disease-site specialists who will evaluate the tests and treatments you have already had, your pathology slides, and will review your options for treatment at any point in the disease process. This process is usually covered by your health insurance. We can also assist you in obtaining the information you will need to bring with you at the time of the appointment and answer any other questions you may have about treatment options, clinical trials, and procedures available at UPCI that may not be available in your community. Our Information Specialists are available to assist you in this process Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm, except holidays. Clinical trials , also called research studies, test new treatments in people with cancer in order to find better ways to treat cancer.
Clinical trials test new drugs, new types of surgery or treatment methods such as gene therapy.
Phase I trials are the first step in testing a new treatment in humans where researchers are looking for the best way to find new treatment. Phase II trials determine whether the new treatment has an anticancer effect. Phase III trials compare new treatment with results of standard treatment. The Clinical Trials section of this web site provides a database listing the currently active clinical trials at UPCI . The Clinical Trials section also houses searchable databases for clinical trials available at the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health, and at comprehensive cancer centers across the country.