Dr. Frank Lake III says this means the hospital is able to increase the number of such procedures.
"Working with RTOG, we are able to provide a larger number of radiation therapy clinical trials in addition to our existing mix of medical and surgical clinical trials," said Dr. Lake, a radiation oncologist with Northeast Georgia Cancer Specialists and medical director of Radiation Oncology for The Cancer Center and NGMC. "We are initially offering approximately eight RTOG trials to our patients, including trials for lung, breast, prostate and heck and neck cancers, and will add more trials in the future."
NGMC has been participating in cancer trials since 1996 and is a partner with a number of research networks across the country. Clinical trials for cancer patients are research studies that evaluate the effectiveness and safety of cancer treatments, including experimental therapies that are not commercially available.
"By offering clinical trials to our patients, we are able to provide the very latest and best treatment options available," says Richard LoCicero, MD, a medical oncologist with The Longstreet Clinic and chairman of the Oncology Research Committee at The Cancer Center at NGMC. "Some people think that if they are on a trial, they're a guinea pig with uncertain outcomes; however, through the trials we offer at NGMC, patients are receiving the best treatment known to modern medicine. In fact, patients may have the chance to receive a drug that has shown promise in smaller studies but is not yet commercially available."
During its 35-year history, RTOG has conducted many studies that have improved the survival and quality of life of cancer patients. RTOG is comprised of 250 of the major research institutions in the U.S. and Canada and currently conducts more than 40 active studies that involve radiation therapy either alone or in conjunction with surgery and/or chemotherapeutic drugs. Since its inception, RTOG has activated 300 protocols and accrued a total of about 60,000 patients to cooperative group studies.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/8/129384