Clinical Trials for Sarcoma

Multiple clinical trials currently exist for adult and pediatric sarcoma patients. These trials revolve around different chemotherapy options and other treatments or imaging techniques, including: chemotherapy, positron emission tomography (PET) scan, pathology (molecular markers), and surgical bone grafts or total knees.

Not all patients are cured with standard therapy, and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired; therefore, patients may seek help through a clinical trial. Patients who take place in clinical trials have the first chance to benefit from treatments that have shown promise in earlier research. They also make an important contribution to medical science by helping doctors learn more about the disease. Although clinical trials may pose some risk, researchers take careful steps to protect people who take part.

Clinical trials come in four phases. In Phase I trials, investigators try to determine the most effective and safe dosage. In Phase II trials, which involve a larger group of patients, researchers hope to build on what they learned in the first phase by trying to establish response rates and response durations, and by trying to determine what side effects will occur. In Phase III trials, researchers compare the experimental treatment with the standard treatment. In Phase IV trials, researchers monitor the effects of long-term usage.

Additional clinical trial links:

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: Search all clinical trials

UW Medicine: Clinical Trials

Cancerguide.org: A Patient's Guide to Clinical Trials

National Cancer Institute: Cancer trials

National Institutes of Health: Cancer trials

American Society of Clinical Oncology: An Introduction to Clinical Trials