replicated Dr. Kimmie Ng, a colorectal cancer expert at Harvard Medical School says.
Dr. Hanna Sanoff of the University of North Carolina’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center tells NPR she would like to see a bigger, more diverse clinical trial of the drug to get the real response rate.
“I can’t imagine it will be 100 percent. And so when we see what the true response rate is, that’s when I think we can really do this all the time,” she says.
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The importance of clinical trials in the Black community
While discoveries like these are great for the advancement of cancer treatments, it’s important that more Blacks participate in clinical trials. Our bodies are different, so when treatments like these come along; it’s important to see how they perform in Black patients. We’ve all wondered how safe and effective a drug we were prescribed is. The reality is, if your doctor has prescribed you a drug, it has most likely gone through several phases of clinical trials and been deemed safe by the FDA, USDA, OHRP, IRB, etc. But how safe is it for Black patients? The only way to truly tell is if more Black patients participate in clinical trials. Given our history of dealing with racial bias in healthcare, we understand that you may be hesitant to participate in clinical trials, however, there are strict rules in place to keep your health and privacy safe.
The benefits of participating in clinical trials include:
- You may get a new treatment for a disease before it is available to everyone.
- You play a more active role in your own health care.
- Researchers may provide you with medical care and more frequent health check-ups as part of your treatment.
- You may have the chance to help others get a better treatment for their health problems in the future.
- You may be able to get information about support groups and resources.
Before participating in a clinical trial, talk with your doctor about the potential risks and benefits.
For more information on clinical trials, visit clinicaltrials.gov