Clinical trials are medical studies involving people.
Researchers test all new drugs and treatments before they become available. After researchers test them in a lab, they test them on people.
Clinical trials for sarcoma can look at:
- Causes – the risks and causes of sarcoma. This is often done by looking at genetics.
- Diagnosis – new tests or scans to diagnose sarcoma.
- Treatments – new types of treatment or new ways of giving treatment.
- Side effects – new drugs or therapies to ease any side effects of treatment.
Not all clinical trials will lead to new or better outcomes. Results of a trial could find that a new treatment doesn’t make people feel any better. This data is still useful for researchers. They can use the data to develop other treatments.
Types of trials
Trial phases
Clinical trials that research new treatments are split into different phases. These phases are based on how the trial is designed. They’re also based on how much testing a treatment has had.
Phase 1: Is the new treatment safe?
Phase 2: Does the new treatment work?
Phase 3: Does the new treatment work better than the current treatment?
Phase 4: What else should we know about this new treatment now that it has been approved?
Trial groups
Researchers will usually assign you to one of two groups as part of these treatment trials.
They’ll assign you randomly using a computer to make sure there’s no bias that could affect the results of a trial.
Treatment group: you will have the new treatment that researchers are testing.
Control group: you’ll have the current standard treatment. If there isn’t a standard treatment, you’ll get a placebo.
The control group helps the researchers learn how well the new treatment works. But people in the control group still get the standard treatment. You would not miss out on treatment by being in this group.
FAIR trials
Research into teenage and young adult cancers has made slower progress than for any other age group. Most clinical trials exclude patients under eighteen with no medical reason. Sarcoma UK supports the Fostering Age Inclusive Research (FAIR) Trials initiative and calls on researchers, regulators, and members of ethics committees to consider adolescent inclusion in adult research when relevant.
This short video features Sarcoma Clinical Research Nurse, Liz Barquin. She explains more about clinical trials, what they involve, and why they’re important.
Last reviewed: July 2024 | Next review due: July 2027
