i can issue 2

Editor's letter:
Treatments on trial

I am delighted at how well i can has been received. Thank you for all your many positive comments and ideas for articles – we'd love to hear more.

I recently had the privilege of attending the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, along with 24,000 other delegates from around the world. Over 3,000 pieces of research were reported, some of which will have immediate relevance to people with cancer, while others will not have an impact on clinical practice for many years.

I was particularly interested in some presentations relating to clinical trials (also called studies). These are the most reliable way to identify whether new treatments, or new combinations of treatments, are better than those currently used. Only a small number of patients take part in trials (perhaps 5% in the UK), yet we know that patients are willing to volunteer for trials if they are asked. The next time your doctor talks about treatment choices, ask whether a trial is available. In my experience, most people want to do anything reasonable that may help future patients.

It is important to remember that a new treatment is not necessarily better than the standard one. If a trial is being done, we honestly don't know which is better. However, the new treatment is only being tested because doctors have some evidence that it might be better than the current standard.

One way I believe we can improve the number of people taking part in trials is to involve patients in their design. Trials should reflect the questions that matter to patients and produce information that is relevant to them – just as one trial we referred to in our first issue is planning to do (www.taxol-uk.com).

We have made great strides improving the treatment of cancer, but we still need to find more effective treatments. Taking part in a trial can help this happen.

Jean Mossman, Editor