Steven Joffe, MD, and Jane Weeks, MD, at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute surveyed 539 oncologists about their reasons for enrolling individuals into clinical trials as well as about their views on the underlying purposes of clinical trials. They found that 43 percent of the adult oncologists and 64 percent of the pediatric oncologists enrolled patients in clinical trials to give them access to "state-of-the-art" therapy. In addition, only 73 percent of the adult oncologists and 59 percent of the pediatric oncologists agreed that the main purpose of clinical trials is to improve treatment for future patients.
According to the researchers, these findings suggest the existence of a "provocative view in oncology that clinical trials perfectly harmonize the objectives of treatment and research." The belief that studies are directed primarily to benefit the participant also challenges the commonly held principle that research is conducted for scientific knowledge and the improvement of future therapy.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.