Identifying
the most appropriate clinical trial for you or your loved one is a
complex task. It requires detailed information about the patient, an
understanding of the disease, as well as the ability to assess the
pros and cons of the numerous emerging treatments.
That said, it can be done and there are professional resources
available that will help.
One resource is the NCI PDQ number below *after*
making essential preparations.
PREPARATION
Prepare the following information about the patient:
-
General information: age, performance status, address, ability
to travel, etc.
-
The exact diagnosis from the most recent pathology report.
-
A report or description of tumor burden (size and locations of
tumors).
-
A timeline of the patient's treatment history.
-
A list of preexisting conditions if any (heart disease, obesity,
...).
-
A recent lab report at hand that includes: WBC, Absolute
Neutrophil and Platelet counts, Hemoglobin, Bilirubin, AST and
ALT, Creatinine (renal), etc. *
NOTE: Your doctor can fax the
necessary reports to you, so please do not let the preparation stage
overwhelm you. Alternatively, your doctor or an assistant can use the
services below to conduct the search for you.
PDQ (Physician Data Query)
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has developed PDQ, a computerized
database designed to give health professionals, patients, and the
*public* quick and easy access to:
the latest treatment, supportive care, screening, and prevention
information for most types of cancer descriptions of research studies
(also known as clinical trials), that are open for enrollment
including treatment, supportive care, screening, and prevention
studies information on organizations and physicians who specialize in
cancer care.
- Patients may call:
The staff at the Cancer Information Service (they can provide information from PDQ to
callers).
Call 1-800-4-CANCER
or 1-800-422-6237, Monday -
Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM local.
Deaf and hard of hearing callers with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615.
or
Physicians and other health
care professionals may call:
The PDQ Search Service at 1-800-345-3300
or
through a medical library with online searching capability.
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