Research in Cancer Therapy
For some people with cancer, taking part in a clinical trial is their last hope of survival. The treating doctors see the increasing chances of survival, especially for future patients. And how do relatives deal with it when their loved ones take part in a study? We examine research in cancer therapy from different perspectives.
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Phases in Clinical Trials in Comparison
Phase 1
For a new medication, the tolerability and optimal dosage are examined. It's less about the effect of the medication and more about getting to know the side effects.
A drug is not successful if it is not tolerated. In this phase, one patient at a time will be included after further information about tolerability has been obtained.
Phase 2
The indication is expanded for an already approved drug. It should be investigated whether it is also tolerated in combination with other medications.
Here, too, there is no control or comparison group to test effectiveness.
This phase has a relatively high potential benefit for the patient because the drug is already known. However, the benefit for scientists is limited due to the lack of comparability.
Phase 3
With the aim of achieving or expanding the approval of a drug for a specific treatment, its effectiveness is examined.
In this phase, a comparison is made with a control group to find out which treatment achieves the better result.
The control group is usually treated with standard therapy. In some cases - when effective treatment methods are no longer available - patients in the control group receive no medication at all or a placebo.