There are many kinds of clinical trials. Most cancer clinical trials deal with new treatments. Alone, or in combination, these types of treatments can cure many cancer patients and prolong the lives of many others. Clinical trials are carried out in phases, each designed to find out certain information. Patients may be eligible for studies in different phases depending on their general condition and the type and stage of their cancer.
More patients take part in the later phases of studies than in the earlier ones.
In a Phase I study, a new research treatment is given to a small number of patients. The researchers must find the best way to give a new treatment and how much of it can be given safely. They watch carefully for any harmful side effects. The research treatment has been well tested in laboratory and animal studies but no one knows how patients will react. I studies may involve significant risks for this reason.