Clinical Research at Utah Cancer Specialists
OUR MISSION: To bring new, or novel medications to the patients of Utah.
For over 25 years now, Utah Cancer Specialists, has been deeply committed to advancing the science of oncology. Clinical trials are a critical component in expanding treatment options for people with all types of cancer. Because all new treatments and therapies must be evaluated through clinical trials, the greater the number of participants, the faster emerging therapies can be brought to patients. Participants expand their own treatment options by accessing promising new therapies that are currently only available through clinical trials – and contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge that may help other patients in the future.
Utah Cancer Specialists offers participation all phases of clinical trials.
Phase I – A phase of research to describe clinical trials that focus on the safety of a drug.
Phase II – A phase of research to describe clinical trials that gather preliminary data on whether a drug works in people who have a certain condition/disease.
Phase III – A phase of research to describe clinical trials that gather more information about a drug’s safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs.
Phase IV – A phase of research to describe clinical trials occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing.
Utah Cancer Specialist has dedicated staff to streamlining your experience in any of our clinical trials.
Our early phase program, START Mountain Region, is part of the world’s largest Phase I medical oncology program. Their mission is to speed up the development of new anticancer drugs.
Our late phase program offer participation in phase 2 and 3 trials. These trials are conveniently offered at all Utah Cancer Specialist locations.
Considering participation in a clinical trial?
All clinical trials have guidelines about who can participate. The criteria-based evaluations consider such factors as age, gender, the type and stage of disease, previous treatment history and other medical conditions.
Patients considering participation in a clinical trial will receive important facts about the study’s purpose and what is involved, such as the tests and other procedures used, possible risks and benefits. Participants will be asked to sign a written consent form outlining the details of the study prior to beginning treatment, however, the trial is completely voluntary and patients may stop at any time.
Justin Call, MD
DiSean Kendall, MD
William B. McKean, PhD, MD
Julie Luckart DNP, AOCNP, FNP
Questions?
To contact Phase 1 START Mountain Region call 801-907-4750
To contact Utah Cancer Specialist late phase research call 801-281-6864
Or Email us at: research@utahcancer.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Clinical trials are research studies conducted with people who volunteer to participate in the testing of new therapies. The purpose of these studies is to find better therapies for cancer treatment.
Clinical research trials are one of the final stages of a long and careful cancer research process. Studies are done with cancer patients to find out whether promising approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment are safe and effective.
- You may have access to promising new therapies that doctors hope will be more effective or less toxic than the standard treatment. These therapies are not yet available to patients outside the study.
- You can play an active role in your cancer care by expanding your treatment options.
- You will receive expert medical care during the trial and throughout your treatment.
- Your overall health is closely monitored throughout the trial.
- You will be contributing to greater knowledge that may help other cancer patients in the future.
- Participants in randomized studies will not be able to choose the approach they receive.
- Health insurance and managed care providers may not cover all patient care costs in a study, in which case the patient would be responsible for those costs.
- Therapies under study are not always better than the standard care.
- New treatments may have unknown side effects or risks.
Clinical research trials are conducted according to strict scientific and ethical principles and groups of experts at the national and local levels approve research studies before they begin. One important group who evaluates clinical trials is the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the research organization implementing the trial. An IRB is made up of doctors, researchers, community leaders and other members of the community. This board is focused on protecting the safety of participants by reviewing the protocol to make sure the study is conducted fairly and participants are well-informed of their rights during the study.
A physician, nurse or someone from the research team will give you the important facts about the study, including the purpose of the study and what is involved such as the tests and other procedures used, possible risks and benefits. You will also receive a written consent form explaining the study, which you will be asked to sign should you decide to participate. However, even if you sign the consent form, you may stop participating in the study at any time.
No. Your participation in a clinical trial is completely voluntary at all times. It is important to ask a lot of questions and consider all of your treatment options before you decide if taking part in a study is right for you.