If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, currently available treatments do not hold out much hope. But there are many promising mesothelioma treatments that are being studied for future use. The National Institutes of Health logs and organizes clinical trials available so that people can find and enroll in them. By enrolling in a clinical trial, you can help further the knowledge of mesothelioma treatment and hopefully participate in the discovery of a cure that can prolong the lives of future victims.
You can search for trials on the website, http://clinicaltrials.gov/, or you can look for more specific trials on the National Cancer Institute, which has a straightforward interface for selecting the type of trial you are looking for, in case you are trying to find a trial for a specific type of treatment, or just one in your area.
In enrolling in a clinical trial, you should understand the different stages of clinical trials. The phase of a trial is based on what is known about the treatment and what remains to be determined. The phases of clinical trials are:
- Phase I Trials use a small group of people (20-80) to determine the safety, safe dosage range, and side effects of a treatment.
- Phase II Trials use information from Phase I Trials to expose a larger group (100-300) to a safe regimen of treatment to determine its effectiveness.
- Phase III Trials apply information from Phase II Trials to treat relatively large groups of people (1,000-3,000) to confirm effectiveness, compare effectiveness to other treatments, and further evaluate the treatment’s safety.
- Phase IV Trials are postmarketing studies that monitor the effectiveness of a drug that has already been approved for use.
Obviously, the later the phase of trial, the more likely you are to benefit from the treatment, but earlier stages are also crucial to advancing knowledge about mesothelioma treatment.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, clinical trials can help control the cost of treatment, with the tradeoff that the treatment you receive is of unknown effectiveness. A mesothelioma lawsuit can also help pay for mesothelioma treatment and ensure that your loved ones will be taken care of, no matter the course your illness takes.
To learn more about mesothelioma lawsuits, please contact The Law Office of Brown | Kiely, LLP for a free consultation.
