Managing Pancreatic Cancer
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials aim to find new and more effective ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer — as well as to improve quality of life for patients.
Understanding Trials
What are clinical trials?
Clinical trials are research studies that test new medical approaches in people. They are the primary way that researchers find out if a new treatment, combination of treatments, or new approach to surgery, radiation therapy, or other treatments is safe and effective.
Currently, opportunities to participate in clinical trials in Ireland are extremely limited. Talk to your treating team to discuss your options for participating in a clinical trial.
Talk to your treating team — they are best placed to advise whether a clinical trial may be suitable for you and can refer you to appropriate centres.
Trial Phases
Phase I — Safety testing
Tests a new treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate safety and identify side effects.
Phase II — Effectiveness testing
Expands the study to a larger group to see if the treatment is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase III — Comparison testing
Compares the new treatment to the current standard treatment in a large group of patients.
Phase IV — Post-approval monitoring
Continues to study the treatment after it has been approved, gathering more information on long-term effects.
Search Resources
Links to clinical trial search
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