Research and Clinical Trials
Research is a way to answer a question and to gain knowledge. We use knowledge gained from research to come up with new treatments. Medical practice is different from research. The main purpose of medical practice is to care for the health and well being of patients. The main purpose of research is to test new scientific ideas or new treatments. Research may help individual participants, but this is not always the case.
Biomedical research is a major component of the Women's Cancer Research Institute and is vital to our commitment to maintain excellence in patient care. Our research is focused on finding ways to prevent, treat and cure breast and gynecologic cancers.
Generous donations from supporters like Research for Women's Cancers allow physicians and scientists at the institute to fight the cancer on a variety of fronts - from molecular studies that help us better understand cancer etiology to clinical trials that will lead to more effective, targeted treatment strategies and novel screening tests. The results of these research studies may have far-reaching implications for all women. Cedars-Sinai scientists and physicians collaborate to ensure that new discoveries are quickly translated into viable medical options for cancer patients - expediting the bench-to-bedside application of these breakthroughs. The institute also offers pilot grants to qualified investigators with promising, novel research ideas.
Tissue Bank
The Women's Cancer Research Institute has established an expansive tissue bank that includes breast, ovarian, cervical, uterine and fallopian tube tissue, as well as blood, ascites, nipple aspirate and urine. This tissue bank is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the United States and has provided valuable samples and correlative clinical data to scientists throughout the world.
Drawing from this resource, Dr. Karlan and her team's studies have helped identify some of the genetic mechanisms involved in tumor growth and resistance to treatment, enabling physicians to better determine the best treatment options for their patients. Our laboratories are conducting basic science and translational research studies that will allow us to understand the causes for cancer and, in turn, help us to more effectively screen and treat it.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials comprise four phases.
- Phase I involves a small number of people to test a new treatment. For cancer studies, patients usually have an advanced cancer that has not responded to standard treatments. A benefit of participating in a Phase I trial is the chance to be among the first to receive a new treatment that might prove effective against cancer.
- Phase II provides an opportunity for researchers to build on what they learned in Phase I. It involves a larger group of patients, which may help researchers discover less common side effects of treatment.
- Phase III may expand the research to several medical institutions and involve more than 1,000 participants, ranging from newly diagnosed to patients with advanced disease. The goal is to discover if the new treatment works better, the same as or worse than standard treatments.
- Phase IV occurs after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has deemed the treatment safe and effective and the treatment is put on the market. If dangerous side effects are discovered, the treatment is taken off the market.
- Blood, Tissue and Clinical Data Collection for Breast Cancer Research
- Gilda Radner Ovarian and Breast Cancer Detection Program
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