Our mission is to bring new or novel medications to the patients of Utah
For over 25 years, 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. As new therapies are developed, regulations mandate that all new treatments need to be evaluated through clinical trials. This creates a need for clinical trial participants.
Participants can expand their available treatment options by accessing promising new therapies only available through clinical trials. By participating in clinical research, participants form a partnership with researchers and healthcare professionals, and play an important role in advancing knowledge about the nature of diseases and how to treat them.
Utah Cancer Specialists offers trials for participants in all clinical phases.
Clinical Trials
Phase I
- Phase I focuses on evaluating the treatment to determine if it is safe to use for a participant. Part of that safety determination is finding the appropriate dosage where the treatment can be most effective. A small number of patients participate in each trial, typically after all exhausting all other approved treatment methods.
Phase II
- In Phase II, findings about treatment doses from Phase I Clinical Trials are applied. Researchers will evaluate the treatment in different patient populations for a specific disease or condition. These studies recruit a larger volume of participants.
Phase III
- Once a treatment reaches Phase III, clinical trials are designed to gather more information about the drug’s safety and effectiveness. These clinical trials are designed to study different disease or conditions in the population, measuring best dosages and the treatment’s effectiveness in combination with other drugs. Recruitment can increase to the hundreds or thousands at this phase.
Phase IV
- The last phase of a cancer clinical trial describes research occurring after the FDA has approved a drug, and it is allowed to be marketed for public use. These studies focus on looking at side effects over a longer period of time and can include a much larger group of participants.
Clinical Trials at UCS
Choosing whether to join a clinical trial is a major decision in your treatment and should be made with expert advice and a wealth of information. Our Care Team would be happy to talk with you in depth about the process of joining a trial and which options are best for you. It is important that you feel comfortable with the decisions you make for your health. Utah Cancer Specialists has a dedicated staff to streamline your experience in any of our clinical trials.
START Mountain Region (MR)
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.
Current UCS Trials
Our UCS Clinical Research Program offers late phase trials for participation (Phases II-III). Our program focuses on bringing the latest advancements in therapeutics to our communities and patients.
Contact Us Today About Clinical Trials at UCS
Clinical trials are investigational in nature. There is no guarantee that participating in one will provide a medical benefit, and in fact there may be risks involved – some known, some unknown. Although efforts are made to control potential risks, you should only make a decision about participation after you fully understand the risks associated with a specific clinical trial treatment. Ask your doctor if there is a clinical trial that might be a right fit for you.
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 trial’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
Frequently Asked Questions
What are clinical trials?
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.
What are the benefits of participating in a clinical trial?
- 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.
How are my rights protected during a clinical trial?
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.
Do I have to participate in a clinical trial?
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.
How are cancer clinical trials conducted?
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.
What are some of the possible risks of participating in a clinical trial?
- 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.
When considering if I want to participate in a study, what type of information will be available?
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.