Though cancer treatment trials may be more well-known, there are many types of clinical trials designed to improve outcomes for people at every stage of cancer.
With support from the Victorian Government through the Department of Health, this month the Victorian Cancer Trials Link expanded the range of trials listed to include a broader range of studies, including prevention, diagnostic, and palliative and supportive care trials. This makes the opportunity of being involved in research more accessible to Victorians affected by cancer.
According to Dr Aaron K Wong, the Palliative Care Clinical Trials Lead at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the benefits of this research are far-reaching and are vital to improving the cancer experience for all Victorians.
“We know how important it is that patients have their symptoms well controlled – including relief from pain or other symptoms such as nausea or anxiety. These outcomes are vital, and many people consider their symptom control at least as important as their longevity (if not more).” - Dr Aaron K Wong
Dr Aaron K Wong, Palliative Care Clinical Trials Lead at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital
Dr Wong leads the development and growth of palliative care clinical trials primarily for people with cancer, but also for those with an advanced or incurable illness. These trials focus on symptom management and can span many areas of cancer care.
In recent years, some these trials have sought to identify methods for improving pain control using biomarkers, specific medications, and even acupuncture. Other trials have focused on:
- improving quality of life using medicinal cannabis
- reducing anxiety using certain medications
- improving appetite using new pharmaceutical products, and
- easing breathlessness using medications and new technologies.
“These trials are especially powerful because they have a clear purpose to improve the quality of life of people who are doing it really tough,” Dr Wong says.
This is done by matching patients with treatments or interventions they wouldn’t have been able to access outside of the trial setting. The trial team gets to know each individual patient’s goals and limitations and is able to place them in the trial which will best suit them and potentially improve their circumstances.
Making more trials available through teletrials
Dr Wong says many clinicians consider palliative care clinical trials as being ‘cancer agnostic’, meaning that these trials are usually open to people with any cancer type. The focus is instead on improving symptom control in specific areas, which not only opens the gates for more people to be involved, but also opens up the possibility for more phone or telehealth-based trials.
“Palliative care trials are generally quite different to cancer-related trials with anti-cancer treatment,” he says. “There isn’t such a requirement to come to hospital that frequently, and there are few blood tests, less face-to-face appointments, and generally the trial visits can sometimes be done over the phone or via telehealth.”
Through this work, and initiatives like the COMET Program, palliative care clinical trials are being made more accessible to people living with cancer who may otherwise be unable to participate due to restrictions on their mobility.
Patients who live further away can participate without needing to regularly travel to Melbourne, and those who aren’t able to leave their homes often are still able to receive the specialist support they need while staying safe.
According to Dr Wong, by allowing more people to be involved in clinical trials they’re breaking down the barriers to important conversations around supportive and palliative care.
“The reason we’re doing this work is so that we can form better ways of caring for our patients, who are in arguably one of the most stressful times in their lives and potentially in the lives of their carers,” he says. “For a lot of patients, they feed back that it reduced their anxiety and gave them a sense of control back in their lives. Which is very important.” - Dr Aaron K Wong
Encouraging patients to consider clinical trials
Dr Wong recommends care teams talk openly with their patients about what trials are available and how participation might align with their goals for that time in their life.
The Victorian Cancer Trials Link can make these conversations simpler by providing information on clinical trials both for health professionals, and in easy-to-understand lay terms for people affected by cancer.
Though he understands the concern about giving any form of false hope, Dr Wong encourages health professionals to not underestimate the impact of symptom control. By helping to answer those trial-related questions, he says they may be able to transform the way a person lives with cancer.
“Coming on the trial gives them that sense of hope and relief that some have not been able to achieve for some time,” Dr Wong says. “And hearing from people about this hope, that ability to get through their lives in a more comfortable way, is so meaningful and heartwarming.”
Visit the Victorian Cancer Trials Link to find current cancer clinical trials in Victoria.