Intermountain Cancer Centers have the largest clinical trial network in the state of Utah and the Intermountain West region. We also partner with the National Cancer Institute’s Northwest Community Oncology Research Program (NW NCORP), offering our patients access to nationally sponsored clinical trials close to home.
When eligible, we encourage you to consider enrolling in clinical trials. The variety of clinical trials each have specific objectives and aims—including treatment, prevention, screening, diagnosis, and quality-of-life or supportive care.
Clinical trials are also separated into a series of phases. If a treatment is successful in one phase, it will proceed onto the next phase for further testing. Phase I trials try to understand the drug’s safety, the best dose to administer, and what side effects may occur. Phase II trials study how well a new treatment works on a certain type of cancer based on the dose found in Phase I. Phase III trials test the new therapy against standard treatment for comparative data, and Phase IV trials further evaluate the long-term safety and effectiveness of a treatment. All phases of clinical trials are being conducted at Intermountain.
While always voluntary, participation in clinical trials allows you to play a more active role in your own healthcare, gain access to new treatments before they are widely available, and help other patients by contributing to medical research. Some side effects and unknown health risks are possible so if you participate in a clinical trial, you will be closely monitored and may be seen more frequently by your care team for surveillance and feedback.
If you would like to be considered for participation in a clinical trial, we encourage you to talk with your physician or care team.