Cancer patients sign up for trials of new drugs with too high hopes : telegraph

as declared in telegraph

Cancer patients sign up for trials of new drugs with too high hopes

Cancer patients sign up for trials of new drugs with too high hopes

Patients taking part in trials of new cancer drugs have unrealistic expectations that experimental treatment will save them, a study by the Royal Marsden has found.Research on more than 300 cancer patients asked about taking part in early-stage research found almost half believed their tumours would shrink, with hopes rising after they discussed the trials with their doctors.In fact, phase I clinical trials – which are the first experiments on humans following studies on laboratory animals, produce typical cancer response rates of between 4 per cent and 20 per cent.Enrolled patients, who often have advanced disease that is not responding to standard therapy, survive for around six months on average.


furthermore reuters

Cancer patients may be overly optimistic about early drug trial participation

Cancer patients may be overly optimistic about early drug trial participation

(Reuters Health) - People with cancer may overestimate the possible benefits to them of participating in an early trial of a new medicine, even after talking with a doctor about what to expect, according to a new study from the U.K.So-called phase 1 trials of experimental treatments are intended to test the drug's safety.Just 4 percent to 20 percent of participants may see their cancer respond to the drug, the authors write in the journal Cancer.But among cancer patients surveyed while they were considering taking part in an early drug trial, between 40 percent and 50 percent of patients thought their tumors would shrink.


coupled with upi

Cancer treatment more likely to leave black patients in debt

Cancer treatment more likely to leave black patients in debt

MONDAY, Sept. 26, 2016 -- Black cancer survivors are more likely than whites to wind up in debt or forego treatment due to cost, a new study finds."More than 1.6 million adults are diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year, and many face some form of financial hardship related to cancer and cancer treatment, even when they're insured," said study author Theresa Hastert.Hastert is an assistant professor in the department of oncology at Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, in Detroit."In order to pay for cancer care, many patients experience changes to their financial situation that can include everything from cutting back on leisure spending to dipping into savings or selling assets, taking on debt, or even losing a home or declaring bankruptcy," Hastert said.