Personal Stories About Participating in Cancer Research
Read personal stories from patients and physicians about their clinical trial experience.
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Today’s Clinical Trials are Tomorrow’s Standard of Care
Keenly aware of how breast cancer affects her community, Adine's first step was to find an oncologist she could trust before joining a clinical trial.
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Combining Drugs to Treat Ovarian Cancer
Approximately 70 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will die from the disease. Read about the NCI-funded combination drug trial that has successfully treated Betsy Brauser's recurrent cancer.
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Once Terminal, Now Controllable Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, Mel was running out of time when he enrolled in a clinical trial.
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Treating Prostate Cancer Closer to Home
Jerome’s prostate cancer was successfully treated at a cancer center close to his home. Read about how NCI’s community oncology research program NCORP is helping cancer patients in their local communities.
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Hitting a Home Run with an Investigational Drug
NCI and the Children’s Oncology Group conducted a clinical trial testing crizotinib (Xalkori), a drug that targets mutations in a gene called ALK. Read about Zach, a patient with anaplastic large cell lymphoma, who took part in the trial.
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Breaking Old Habits and Expanding Access to Clinical Trials
Clinical trials help broaden access to cancer care, offering patients options like immunotherapy that did not exist 50 years ago.
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Reaching the Stars with a New Immunotherapy Drug
Allen participated in an NCI clinical trial testing a combination therapy after running out of standard treatment options for his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Read about his story.
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Shrinking a Tumor, Changing a Life
NCI scientists first identified TRK fusions, which led to the development of larotrectinib, a therapy that shrunk baby Rihanna’s tumor. Read about Rihanna’s story.
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Finding a Voice and Surviving Breast Cancer
When met with silence from women in the Navajo Nation, the support of family kept Vivian going during her breast cancer clinical trial.
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Making the Case for Biomarkers in Cancer Treatment
Read how melanoma survivor T.J. Sharpe’s experience on two clinical trials highlights the need for biomarkers to predict benefit from immunotherapy.
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Improving Outcomes for Patients with NF1
Read about Philip Moss who participated in an NCI clinical trial led by Brigitte Widemann that is showing promise in treating children with NF1.
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Opting for a Novel Combination Treatment for Resistant Aggressive B-Cell Lymphoma
NCI is testing a novel five-drug therapy called ViPOR for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Enrolling in the trial changed Justin’s life.
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Stopping Multiple Myeloma in Its Tracks
The results of standard tests indicated that Valerie Winston was at risk for multiple myeloma. Read how an NCI combination therapy clinical trial helped her avoid the full impact of multiple myeloma.