Clinical trials are incredibly important when it comes to cancer treatment — these trials make way for new, innovative treatments to get approved. With ovarian cancer, your doctor may recommend a clinical trial when chemotherapy isn’t working well, especially in a platinum-resistant setting.
Women should consider enrolling in a clinical trial if they have experienced an ovarian cancer recurrence, according to Dr. Casey Cosgrove, a gynecologic oncologist at Ohio State University. “We are looking not only at new agents that have never been tried before, we’re also looking at new combinations and using medications that we’ve used previously in different disease sites,” Dr. Cosgrove said. “Clinical trials give us opportunities to find new ways to treat cancer, and hopefully, ways to better treat cancer.”
Read MoreMany female patients with ovarian cancer, according to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, do choose to participate in clinical trials. As a result of their participation, they may be able to take part in a treatment option that would not have been available within the clinically approved treatments when something in trial could be potentially life-saving.
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