Clinical Trials

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New Advances In Our Fight Against Brain and Spine Tumors

Great strides are being made in the diagnosis and treatment of brain and spine tumors every day. Research labs across the globe are working on new techniques, technologies and therapies that hold the promise of improving patient outcomes.

The Florida Hospital Brain and Spinal Cancer Program is committed to exploring these recent advances through its clinical trials. During your treatment for brain or spinal tumors you may be invited to participate in one of these trials. Rest assured - prior to human testing, extensive laboratory research with positive results was conducted. Florida Hospital Cancer Institute is an affiliated member of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group® (RTOG®) with University of Alabama. The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group® (RTOG®) has been a recognized leader in working to increase survival and improve the quality of life for cancer patients. RTOG is a key clinical research component of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and serves as a multi-institutional, international clinical cooperative group funded primarily by the National Cancer Institute.

While not all patients are eligible for clinical trials, if you meet the criteria you will be able to test new therapies that may be the key to a cure, even though it may not be made available to the general public for months or years to come. The clinical trial process can be lengthy, but must be this thorough to ensure that every measure is taken to understand all possible effects of the therapy before public consumption.

All clinical trials at the Florida Hospital Brain and Spinal Cancer Program are administered and monitored closely by members of our specialized research team. Rigorous guidelines are in place to ensure these trials are conducted safely and prudently. Some brain and spinal tumor clinical trials can last for years and most are offered at no additional cost to you. In fact, typically even the additional testing and appointments with the trial physician are covered as part of the program.

Of course, one of the biggest benefits of participating in a clinical trial is the possibility of discovering new ways to detect, control or even eradicate brain and spine tumors.

The Benefits of Participating in Brain and Spinal Tumor Clinical Trials

If you're a good candidate for a brain or spinal tumor clinical trial, you will be able to test the effectiveness of new generations of tumor-fighting drugs, new surgery or radiation therapy options.

Benefits include:

• Access to new brain and spinal tumor treatments
• Highly personal care, including having a research nurse with you during all stages of the trials, from treatments to follow-up sessions with the trial physician
• More effective ways to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat the different types of brain and spine tumors.

The Florida Hospital Brain and Spinal Cancer Program works closely with some of the leading research institutions in the country, including the National Care Institute, Duke University Medical Center, the UCLA Community Oncology Research Network and many highly regarded pharmaceutical companies. In some cases, we are the only program in the southern United States to conduct specific clinical trials for brain and spinal tumors.

Current Clinical Trials

The Florida Hospital Brain and Spinal Cancer Program is actively involved in new clinical trials for brain and spinal tumors. For more information on current trials, click on the link above or contact our Neuro Care Coordinator.