A Patient’s Guide to Understanding
Cutaneous Lymphoma
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situation is when it is a double-blind trial, where the patient as well as the
physician does not know what drug is being administered, and, at the end
of the trial, data is evaluated to determine each drug’s effectiveness. More
common in cancer medicine are so-called open-label trials, where everyone
is aware of which medication is being administered.
In addition to clinical trials, there are case studies. A case study is a
publication where doctors review their records retrospectively over a
course of many years to determine the numbers of patients with a certain
disease and evaluate what treatments have been effective. The results are
published with a general estimate of the treatment’s success rate and safety.
The problem with retrospective case studies is that, since the information
was not collected in real time going forward, data may be missing or be
inaccurate. Therefore, the quality of the evidence from case studies is much
inferior to that obtained in prospective clinical trials and conclusions about
treatment efficacy and safety should always be confirmed prospectively.
Scientific advances and education are important cornerstones to continuing
the progress in finding effective new treatments for cutaneous lymphoma as
well as for continuing to monitor existing therapies or new combinations of
therapies that can move us closer to finding a cure. Patients can contribute
to these efforts by being open to exploring participation in a clinical trial
with their physicians. By taking an active role and being a voice in support
of continued governmental or private funding for new treatments and
research for cutaneous lymphoma, patients can have a big impact on the
future of funding new developments leading to a cure one day.
What Exactly is a Clinical Trial?
A cancer clinical trial is a carefully controlled research study conducted by
doctors to improve the care and treatment of people who have cancer. A
treatment that is proven safe and effective in a cancer clinical trial is often
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a
standard treatment if it meets one or both of the following criteria:
• It’s more effective than the current standard treatment.
• It has fewer side effects than the current standard treatment.
The purpose of cancer clinical trials is to:
• Improve treatment options
