Clinical Trials
Exploring the benefits of clinical trials at Florida Hospital Cancer Institute
Clinical trials are research studies in which people help doctors find ways to improve health and cancer care. Each study tries to answer scientific questions and to find better ways to prevent, diagnose or treat cancer. It is designed to show how a particular anticancer strategy - a promising drug, a gene therapy treatment, a new diagnostic test, or a possible way to prevent cancer - affects the people who receive it.
The doctors at the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute (FHCI) use clinical trials to answer scientific questions and find better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose and treat cancer. Clinical trials are the best way for our doctors to learn what cancer treatment works best.
Each trial offers its own opportunities and risks, but many people find that all clinical trials offer these benefits in common:
- Health care provided by leading physicians in the field of cancer research
- Access to new drugs and interventions before they are widely available
- Close monitoring of your health care and any side effects
- A more active role in your own health care
- If the approach being studied is found to be helpful, you may be among the first to benefit
- An opportunity to make a valuable contribution to cancer research.
FHCI receives honors for improving care through clinical trials
The Florida Hospital Cancer Institute is one of the most active clinical trial sites in the state. Founded in 1989, our Clinical Research Center team participates in more than 175 clinical trials each year for all types of cancer. These trials are furnished through many prestigious organizations, including the National Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center, the UCLA Community Oncology Research Network and various pharmaceutical companies. Often, we are the only facility in the Southeast offering such trials.
And in 2006, FHCI was one of only 12 community oncology programs in the United States to receive honors from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, recognizing our commitment to improving care for cancer patients through increased participation in clinical trials.
If you're thinking of participating in a clinical trial, knowing all you can about clinical trials can help you make a more informed decision. Our Care Coordinator can discuss with you the clinical trials you may be eligible to participate in. You can click here to view a list of the current, open clinical trials or call our Oncology Clinical Care Coordinator at (407) 303-4610.
