BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Doctors at the UVM Medical Center are working to fight cancer and participants in the dozens of clinical trials underway there can help.
May 20 is Clinical Trials Awareness Day, an opportunity for medical professionals to educate the public on what’s out there they can participate in, and to dispel myths and misinformation.
The University of Vermont Cancer Center is currently running more than 100 different trials. They range from supportive care trials, like testing new types of anti-nausea medications, to treatment trials where they test new ways to try to treat and cure patients with cancer.
Dr. Randall Holcombe, the director of the University of Vermont Cancer Centers, says there are always risks with any kind of treatment related to cancer. But he says all of their trials have been rigorously reviewed by either the National Cancer Institute or the Food and Drug Administration to ensure that they are of the highest quality. And he says patient safety is a top priority.
“So patients, when they enroll in a clinical trial, can be sure that they’re getting what we feel is the best care available. And they may actually be getting care that future patients may be getting 10 years from now. So it may be an opportunity to get some new therapies,” Holcombe said.
Watch the video to see our John McMahon’s full interview with Dr. Randall Holcombe.
Click here for more on some of the clinical trials at the UVM Medical Center and how you may be able to take part. To learn more about clinical trials offered by the UVM Cancer Center, patients should follow up with their oncologist or contact Wren Zegans at 802-656-2021.