A Primer on Clinical Trials Clinical trials are research studies conducted with people. Many trials try to find better ways to prevent or treat diseases, while others test new ways to detect or diagnose a disease. Clinical trials are carefully controlled research studies conducted with actual patients. They have been responsible for many advances in breast cancer treatment, such as lumpectomy, the use of tamoxifen, and screening mammography.
Participants take part in clinical trials for many reasons.
Usually, they hope for a cure and for a way to contribute to a research effort that may help others. Also, participants in a clinical trial are among the first to receive the new treatments before they are widely available. The care they receive is always the best available. Compares the effectiveness of the new treatment against a standard treatment. Before a treatment is tested in a phased clinical trial, it has been studied in a laboratory where treatments are tested on animals.