Why we need clinical trials to advance cancer care
Every cancer treatment we use today exists because of research and clinical trials. Clinical trials are vital to improving cancer care, providing us with the tools to find new, better and safer treatments for patients. Through these trials, doctors and researchers carefully test treatments in real-world settings.
Why are clinical trials so important?
Clinical trials help answer key questions:
Does this treatment work?
Is it better than what’s already available?
Are there any side effects?
Clinical trials make it possible for doctors to confidently decide if a new approach to cancer care works better or is safer than what’s currently used. Thanks to trials, survival rates have improved. In Australia, breast cancer survival has risen 73% to 91% in the past 20 years, and advances in lung cancer treatment has doubled patient survival rates, giving people more time with their loved ones.
Dr Andrew See
Radiation Oncologist and researcher.
“We can’t evolve the way we treat cancer without clinical trials. Donations support our research that help us help patients today and far into the future.”
Dr Andrew See is a radiation oncologist at Icon Cancer Centre. He is involved in clinical trials and leads key studies that explore the use of radiation therapy treatments for breast and prostate cancers.
How do clinical trials work?
Clinical trials aren’t limited to testing new drugs. They may also explore innovative surgery methods, new ways to diagnose a disease, or improve quality of life. Treatments go through rigorous testing in laboratories before they reach patients in a trial setting. During a clinical trial, participants may be divided into:
Treatment group – receives the new treatment
Control group – may receive standard treatment, a placebo (inactive substance) or no treatment depending on the trial design.
This provides a baseline for comparison and allows researchers to see if the new treatment truly makes a difference.
Associate Professor Jim Coward
Medical Oncologist and researcher
“I’ve seen how research changes lives every day. Patients come to us with a cancer diagnosis expecting they may only have months to live, and some leave with years of precious time.”
Associate Professor Jim Coward is a Medical Oncologist and leads the Phase One Clinical Trials Unit at Icon Cancer Centre, South Brisbane. Throughout his career he has seen the impact of research on cancer treatments.
Why do clinical trials take time and cost so much?
Developing new treatments can take years. Clinical trials are carefully designed to make sure new treatments are safe and effective, which means they take longer and cost more than existing care.
Trials are conducted in phases, with early phases focused on safety and later ones on effectiveness and longer-term results. In some cases, like rare cancer studies, trials take even longer because researchers must find enough patients to participate.
Dr Craig Gedye
Director of Research (Medical Oncology and Haematology)
“We need to keep improving and working with our patients to find treatments that will help in any way we can.”
Dr Craig Gedye is Icon Group Director of Research (Medical Oncology and Haematology). He finds daily inspiration through research and his care of patients.
How we support research
Icon Group leads Australia in private cancer clinical trials across chemotherapy, radiation therapy and blood disorders.
Icon Cancer Foundation (ICF) sits within this research program, funding independent studies known as investigator-initiated trials (IITs). These trials are designed and led by Icon Cancer Centre’s network of doctors and healthcare professionals and are not commercially funded through a pharmaceutical or biotech company.
These studies are crucial because they let Icon’s researchers focus on ideas inspired by their experience with patients, often tackling treatment gaps that might not otherwise be addressed.
“We have a strong history of trials at Icon, and over the next few years, I hope to grow our trials base at Icon, especially in the Investigator Initiated Trials space and facilitate more funding through Icon Cancer Foundation.”
Dr Jonathan Ramsay is Icon Cancer Foundation Chair and Icon Group Director of Research (Radiation Medicine and Theranostics). He’s dedicated to making clinical trials accessible to more people.
How you can help
Supporting cancer research through Icon Cancer Foundation is a powerful way to contribute to breakthroughs in treatment. By helping fund these trials, you’re helping researchers and healthcare professionals develop treatments that can improve survival rates, reduce side effects, and enhance quality of life for people living with cancer.
“Every time we offer a patient a clinical trial, we’re offering them hope.”
Sophie Mepham is Icon Group’s Executive Manager Research Global and Icon Cancer Foundation Board Director. For Sophie, the connection with research is deeply personal. She attributes her mother surviving cancer to a clinical trial.
Want to read more about our researchers? Visit the ICF website to hear from our experts on how clinical trials are making a difference for cancer patients.
