Denise Mouro, R.N., research nurse at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center explains the
clinical trial recruitment process.
What is clinical research?
Clinical research is research about people. There are several types of cancer-related clinical research studies: Some focus on
better ways to prevent or diagnose cancer. Some are designed to improve treatment for people with cancer. Some studies look for
new ways to prevent the side effects often associated with existing cancer treatments. Unlike other types of scientific research
that take place in a laboratory, clinical research usually takes place in a hospital or clinical setting under the direction of
researchers who also are doctors.
What is a clinical trial?
A clinical trial is a specific kind of clinical research study. It's designed to test whether experimental cancer drugs or treatments are
safe and effective to use in people. In a clinical trial, an experimental drug or treatment is first given to volunteers to see if the drug
is safe and has tolerable side effects, and is then tested against conventional therapies to see which works best in cancer patients.