Each study is designed to evaluate new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of cancer.
People participate in clinical research for a variety of reasons.
People who volunteer for phase II and phase III trials can gain access to promising drugs long before these compounds are approved for the marketplace. They typically will get excellent care from the physicians during the course of the study. This care also may be free. The patient's rights and safety are protected in two important ways. The review board, which is usually composed of physicians and lay people, is charged with examining the study's protocol to ensure that the patient's rights are protected, and that the study does not present an undue or unnecessary risk to the patient.