Clinical Trials

Patients are often interested in learning more about clinical trials for brain tumors. It can be confusing and overwhelming to understand what clinical trial may be best for you or your loved one. We understand how difficult this process can be and have created this section of our website to better assist you.

Clinical trials are studies designed to test the most promising new treatments. People participate in a clinical trial for a variety of reasons: to try a new and promising treatment method, to contribute to the development of future treatments, or to help find a cure. Most clinical trials require a patient to qualify with certain medical criteria. Some trials can be joined before your first surgery, others during radiation, others at the point of recurrence. Ask your doctor if you are eligible for a trial, or get a second opinion at any time.

Please visit the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes for Health for more in-depth information such as who pays for and conducts clinical trials.

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase I: Determine maximum tolerated dose…how much, how safe, how often?
Phase II: Evaluate effectiveness…does it do any good?
Phase III: Compares a new treatment to the standard treatment to determine which is more effective…is the new treatment better?

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Accessing Clinical Trials

The following resources offer clinical trial databases to search for trials. Follow the directions below to find a clinical trial.

National Brain Tumor Society Clinical Trial Matching Service

  1. Click here to visit the National Brain Tumor Society Clinical Trial Matching Service website.
  2. Call 877.769.4812 to speak with a clinical trial navigator specially trained to help you find clinical trials that match your needs. Navigators are available Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 6:30pm ET.
  3. Or, start your online profile with Step 1 listed near the bottom of the page.

ClinicalTrials.gov

  1. Click here to visit www.ClinicalTrials.gov.
  2. Click on the "Search for Clinical Trials" link.
  3. Type in your tumor type and location or treatment name/type in the field provided and click on the "Search" button.
  4. A list of clinical trials will appear if your search criteria has found a match (or multiple matches). To condense the text click on "Hide studies that are not seeking volunteers" at the top of the page. This will help to eliminate the trials that are not currently recruiting.
  5. Scroll through and click on the trials listed. Each trial will have a name, clinical trial ID number, purpose statement, eligibility criteria, contact information, and locations.

Cancer.gov/ClinicalTrials

  1. Click here to visit www.cancer.gov/ClinicalTrials
  2. Click on the "Find a Clinical Trial" link.
  3. Under "Type of Cancer" find your tumor type and specify if you are looking for adult or pediatric brain tumor clinical trials. For more selective search options, you can include what type of trial you are looking for (i.e., treatment).
  4. Enter your zip code and click on the "Search" button.
  5. A list of clinical trials will appear if your search criteria has found a match (or multiple matches). Scroll through and click on the trials listed. Each trial wi
    6. ll have a name, current phase (i.e., I, II, III), trial summary, eligibility information, contact information, and locations.

VirtualTrials.com

  1. Click here to visit www.VirtualTrials.com
  2. Click on "Find a Clinical Trial" from the list of links on the home page.
  3. Enter your search criteria, such as tumor type, treatment type, trial phase, age group, country, etc. Once you have entered this information click on the "Find Matching Clinical Trials" button.
  4. A list of clinical trials will appear with the treatment or trial name, location, and the date it was last updated on the website.
  5. To find out more about a particular clinical trial, click on the "Details" link on the left hand side of the listing. The treatment name, phase, age group, tumor type, trial information, contact information, and locations will appear.