PEORIA MAGAZINE August 2022

OUR PATH TO A CURE

Illinois CancerCare was founded in 1977 with cancer research at the core of our practice. Since then, more than 10,000 of our patients have participated in nearly 1,500 clinical trials—staying close to home and close to family, friends, and support networks. Four decades into our fight, we remain independent, privately owned, and committed to the latest research on behalf of our patients. These studies aren’t merely the final step in bringing tomorrow’s drugs and therapies to market. For many of today’s patients, they are lifesavers, life-extenders, and quality-of-life-enhancers.

DEFINING CLINICAL TRIALS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Defines who may participate in a trial based on a variety of factors, like a certain type or stage of cancer, previous treatments, age, gender, medical history, or current health CLINICAL TRIAL Final step in determining the safety and effectiveness of new treatments—involves human volunteers and evaluates if a new treatment is better than existing options CANCER CONTROL STUDIES (SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT) Address the symptoms and side effects, like nausea or fatigue, that result from having and treating cancer PROTOCOL Outlines the purpose of the trial, what drugs or treatments will be used, what testing will be conducted, the number of people needed, eligibility criteria and what information will be collected

THE FOUR PHASES OF CLINICAL TRIALS

PHASE I TRIALS Evaluate how a new drug should be given, how often and at what dosage. They usually enroll only a small number of patients.

PHASE IV TRIALS Evaluate the long-term effects of a new drug over a lengthy period of time for a larger number of patients. They occur after FDA approval of a drug. PHASE II TRIALS Continue to test the safety of a new drug in participants and begin to evaluate how it works. They usually focus on a specific type of cancer.

PHASE III TRIALS Compare the new drug, combination of drugs or surgical procedure to the current standard by randomly assigning participants to the new group or the standard group. They often enroll large numbers of people and occur nationwide.

CLINICAL TRIAL ASCO AWARD WINNERS ASCO: AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY

WE MATCH TOMORROW’S TREATMENTS WITH TODAY’S PATIENTS

8940 N Wood Sage Rd, Peoria, IL I illinoiscancercare.com I 309.243.3000 EXPERTS IN CANCER RESEARCH

24 AUGUST 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE