The survival rate of children with cancer has greatly improved
over the past 40 years. This is largely due to the participation of
patients in clinical research trials. Unfortunately, in the United
States only 10 percent of patients ages 15-19 and only 1-2 percent
of the patients ages 20-39 enroll in clinical trials. At Children's
Mercy we want to help patients improve the outcomes of AYA cancer
patients by offering the opportunity for AYA patients to
participate in clinical trials. Physicians, nurse practitioners,
and research coordinators work together to find clinical research
trials that are available for our patients. Enrolling in a trial
may not be the best option for every patient and we work closely
with the patient and family to evaluate the best possibilities for
the individual patients needs.
We have several different types of trials available:
- Trials that look at how we can help support patients during
their diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
- Trials open that look at different treatments for cancer or
blood disorders. These include trials looking at newly available
drugs.
- Trials that look at how we can decrease the side effects of the
medications we use to treat cancer.
