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Investigational Trials
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| St. Joseph’s Hospital one of only a handful of hospitals in Florida participating in the National
Cancer Institute’s community outreach program the Clinical Trials Support
Unit or CTSU. Recent changes in the medical marketplace have
resulted in a shift of cancer patients and cancer doctors away from University
treatment centers. Continuity of care is especially important when dealing
with serious illness such as cancer. And, for most patients quality cancer
treatment can be delivered close to home via collaboration between your
oncologist and your family physician
Our participation in the CTSU program allows us to offer our patients many of the investigational
cancer treatments that were formerly only available at University Research
Centers. Through this program, we have access to novel technologies and
drug therapies. Patients have the opportunity to be part of selected studies
being conducted by national cooperative groups. A few examples appear
below:
- National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project
- Southwest Oncology Group
- Children’s Oncology Group
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology group
- Radiation Therapy Oncology Group
- Cancer and Leukemia Group B
For more information and an updated list of currently
open studies at our Tampa hospital, contact Cancer HelpLine at
813-870-4123
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 Scientists
commonly conduct clinical trials when they have reason to believe that
a new treatment may be superior to an existing one. There are three
phases of clinical trials. The first, is called a Phase I trial. Phase
I studies test treatments that are very new to be sure that they are
safe. In some cases, they involve treatments which have never been tested
in humans before. At St. Joseph’s Cancer Institute, we do not conduct
Phase I trials.
After a new treatment has been found to be safe, it is subjected to
a Phase II study. In Phase II, doctors enroll patients with multiple
different types of
cancer and try to see which patients are helped. By belonging to the
CTSU, we can obtain Phase II drugs for qualifying patients from the
National Cancer Institute.
Once a new treatment has been found to be safe and effective, a Phase
III trial is performed to compare the new treatment to the older, established
treatment. Often, this requires large numbers of patients and the results
may not be available for years. Patients may be randomized which means
that a computer will decide if they receive the investigational treatment,
or the standard treatment.
Things to ask your doctor if you are considering a clinical trial:
- What is the current standard treatment and how is the new treatment different?
- What risks are expected
- What kinds of patients are most likely to benefit?
- What will be expected of me during the trial?
- Will my insurance cover the costs of the new treatment?
- Will I have to change doctors or travel to be a part of this trial?
- Whom do I call if I have questions for side effects? Taking part in a clinical trial is voluntary. Your doctor will explain
all the features of the trial to you and you will be asked to sign
an informed consent. You may withdraw from a clinical trial at any
time if you decide the treatment is not right for you
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