What is a clinical trial?
Clinical trials (also called medical research or research studies) are trustworthy tests to examine the safety and effectiveness of new drugs and vaccines, devices or procedures.

Coborn Cancer Center supports many clinical trials currently open to brain, breast, colorectal, head and neck, lung, pancreas, prostate, rectum and skin cancers.

There are different kinds of clinical trials including cancer prevention, control and drug trials that work to improve the quality of life for cancer patients.

Participants in clinical trials receive the highest standard of care. Cancer clinical trials are approved by the National Cancer Institute. You’ll receive standard treatment and may, in addition, get a new drug.

Who is eligible?
Each study has specific eligibility criteria. Coborn Cancer Center has access to the latest treatment and research trials open across the country. Patients at seven outreach sites in Central Minnesota have access to the latest research trials, in addition to three affiliate sites. You are eligible to participate in a study through the Coborn Cancer Center if you receive care at the Coborn Cancer Center, an outreach site or at one of the designated affiliate sites. Contact your doctor regarding your participation eligibility or your nearest commission on cancer-accredited cancer centers for more research information.

Health insurance may not cover all patient care costs in a study. Coverage varies with each insurance plan. The staff at Coborn Cancer Center will assist you in checking with your insurance plan to determine coverage prior to joining any study.

For an additional resource, visit www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/understanding/insurance-coverage.

Why participate? What is the commitment?
Participation in a clinical trial is an opportunity for patients to get the most advanced drug treatment available. Clinical trial information can be obtained at your regular visits with your oncologist. On many clinical trials, your health is followed for the rest of your life.

Since 1978, more than 1,400 patients have enrolled in clinical trial research studies at Coborn Cancer Center. Currently, nearly 200 patients are being followed on clinical trials at Coborn Cancer Center.

Cancer Trials Currently Open
Coborn Cancer Center has prevention, cancer control and clinical treatment trials currently open to the following cancers (and many others):

• brain
• breast
• colorectal
• head and neck
• lung
• pancreas
• prostate
• rectum
• skin.

Prevention trials test new approaches, such as medicines, vitamins, minerals or other supplements that doctors believe may lower the risk of a certain type of cancer. These trials look for the best way to prevent cancer in people who have never had cancer or to prevent cancer from coming back or a new cancer occurring in people who have already had cancer.

Control trials explore way to improve comfort and quality of life for cancer patients. Open prevention/control trials include pain, sleep, hot flashes, bone loss, cognitive dysfunction, fatigue and sensory neurotoxicity.

Treatment trials test new treatments (like a new cancer drug, new approaches to surgery or radiation therapy, new combinations of treatments, or new methods such as gene therapy).

Please contact Coborn Cancer Center by calling (320) 229-4907 for a current list of open protocols.

Phases of a Clinical Trial
Coborn Cancer Center conducts a majority of Phase II and III treatment trials, which involves hundreds, sometimes thousands of people with the goal of comparing new treatments or drugs to the most commonly used treatments.

Phase I Trial: In Phase I trials, researchers test the safety of a new drug or treatment on a very small number of people because of the unknown risks involved.

Phase II Trial: In Phase II trials, researchers test treatments on a small number of patients to see if the treatment works against a certain kind of cancer.

Phase III Trial: Phase III trials compare the results of people taking the new treatment with the results of people taking standard treatment to confirm the study drug’s effectiveness and monitor side effects among hundreds of people.

Pharmaceutical or Industry Trial (also called post-marketing surveillance): After a drug has been launched, pharmaceutical companies may conduct further studies of its performance, often examining long-term safety.

Helpful Terms
Control Group: These patients are either given the standard treatment or a placebo.

Food and Drug Administration: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of all drugs, biologics, vaccines and medical devices.

Institutional Review Board (IRB): A committee comprised of community members, spiritual care, patients and medical personnel that assures appropriate steps are taken to protect the rights and welfare of participants as subjects in research trials. IRBs review and approve the protocols for all clinical trials to ensure protection in accordance with the Food and Drug Administration guidelines.

Intervention group: These patients receive the experimental drug or treatment.

Placebo: An inactive substance that may be given to participants in a clinical trial. This substance also is referred to as a sugar pill.

Principal Investigator: The lead researcher in a clinical trial.

Randomization: Assigning participants by chance to either the intervention group (new treatment) or the control group (standard treatment).

Your Safety as Our Patient
Coborn Cancer Center undergoes rigorous review from the National Cancer Institute to ensure the highest standards of care and treatment. Coborn Cancer Center also has its own Institutional Review Board to approve all trials.

Coborn Cancer Center is a member of the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) that partners with Mayo Clinic, so patients at Coborn Cancer Center receive access to the same regulated and safe clinical trials as Mayo Clinic.

Health care safety is a priority and everyone has a role in making health care safe – physicians, health care executives, nurses and technicians. You, as the patient, also can play a vital role in making your care safe by becoming an active, involved and informed member of your health care team. The “Speak Up” program, urges patients to get involved in their care. This initiative provides simple advice on how you, as the patient, can make your care a positive experience. After all, research shows that patients who take part in decisions about their health care are more likely to have better outcomes. For more information, contact your care provider.

Our Commitment to Cancer Research
Developing and maintaining a viable research program requires adequate planning and staffing. In a highly competitive health care market, offering participation in clinical trials and access to novel anti-cancer drugs and therapies sets a facility a notch above other centers that cannot provide such opportunities. Coborn Cancer Center supports a trained staff of clinical research specialists and nurses who are dedicated to providing a quality research program. Harold Windschitl, M.D., medical oncologist and principal investigator for the cancer research program at Coborn Cancer Center, is one of the seven original members of the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG). NCCTG was founded in 1977 by pioneering physicians from the north central region of the United States and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. This cooperative group allows promising scientific ideas developed at the Mayo Clinic to be tested in many communities throughout the NCCTG network, which gives broad access to the latest therapies.

Coborn Cancer Center is a not-for-profit organization committed to the ongoing pursuit for best treatment and care. Most research trials are funded by the National Cancer Institute. Many industry studies are paid for by pharmaceutical companies and other independent organizations.

Coborn Cancer Center outreach sites:

• Glenwood
• Little Falls
• Long Prairie
• Melrose
• Mora
• Paynesville
• Sauk Centre

Coborn Cancer Center affiliate research sites:

• Fergus Falls

How can you support cancer research?
If cancer has touched you or someone you love, consider a financial contribution to CentraCare Health Foundation.

The Dr. Harold Windschitl Research Fund enhances cancer services and solely supports the cancer research efforts of CentraCare Health System and its entities.

To learn more about the Dr. Harold Windschitl Research Fund and other cancer-related funds, please contact CentraCare Health Foundation.