When cancer patients undergo treatment, sometimes the first course doesn’t work the way a doctor hopes and different options have to come into play. These days, an ever-increasing amount of research trials give doctors more options.
At any given time, patients can take part in hundreds of potentially life-saving trials, a fact of which treatment centers are acutely aware. Studies often include new drugs or combinations of drugs, new surgical procedures or devices, or new ways to use existing treatments.
At St. Elizabeth Healthcare, the task of keeping abreast of that information can be a full-time job.
Connecting patients and trials
Kim Schmidt is one of a pair of cancer care research nurses at the hospital who spends most of her day looking at options for patients.
“(We) spend a great deal of our time screening all patients seen at St. Elizabeth in the breast clinics and gynecology clinics for eligibility for any of the studies that we have open,” said Schmidt.
That includes keeping up with the latest research and trials, which Schmidt can monitor on a nationwide databases, like the National Comprehensive Care Network and the Cancer Trials Support Unit, a service offered by the National Cancer Institute. Those tools inform caregivers of new trials in the pipeline and also their successes, which help doctors give patients the best and most current options available.
After finding a match between a trial and a potentially eligible patient, the research nurses will discuss it with the whole care team and, ultimately, the patient.
“If a patient meets the eligibility requirements of a particular study, such as disease stage, cell type or age, their physician will discuss the trial with the patient as one of their treatment options,” Schmidt said. “If they’re interested, they’re given additional information about the trial from the research nurse. Once they are registered with the trail, they can begin right away.”
Determining the best treatment course
Before beginning treatment, patients are supplied with complete information about the trial with the help of their care team. Treatment goals, other treatment options, testing and treatment schedules as well as potential risks and side effects are part of that information, as well as early treatment success.
With patients participating in 14 trials at St. Elizabeth, research can offer participants the most current standard of care and the chance at a cure, according to Schmidt. A reason why trials should be part of the discussion from the outset.
“Any and all patients diagnosed with cancer should always ask their physician if there are any clinical trials that they are potentially eligible for when they discuss their treatment options,” she said.
For more information on the benefits and risks of clinical trials, the National Institutes of Health maintains a website to help patients enter into a discussion with doctors.
