How Do We Improve Outcomes Of GI Cancers?

For information on current clinical trials GCF are involved with or have been involved with go to Our Work.

Clinical trials are fundamental to the future of cancer treatment. They are the final link in the chain of medical research, advancing discoveries made in laboratories into treatments that improve the quality of life for patients. Clinical trials are not about labs or test tubes; they are real life studies involving patients, and they often produce major advances. They are the best way to define exactly which medications, surgical techniques and radiation treatments work best to help patients.

Most of the time, clinical trials compare a new treatment or procedure against the standard therapy. Trials are broken down into three phases which relate to different steps in treatment testing. They are often given rather bizarre acronyms to make it easier for people to talk about them, for example A La CaRT = Australasian Laparoscopic Cancer of the Rectum Trial.

Funding for Clinical Trials can come from different resources, such as Government Agencies, Research Groups, Pharmaceutical Companies, Not-for Profits. Unfortunately, there is a critical shortage of funding for Gastro Intestinal Cancer Research Clinical trials can be expensive to run as there are many people involved in the research and medical treatment terms Many costs are not covered by medical centers or institutions Depending on the type of the trial the cost per patient ranges from $1,000 to $10,000 NZD What's so Expensive
Treatment Costs

Treatment Costs

Costs over and above normal treatment costs that would otherwise be funded by the hospital such as extra scans, blood tests, and procedures

Facility Costs

Facility Costs

In some clinical trials, facility costs will not be fully funded by the institution

On Site Costs

On-Site Costs

The salaries for study nurses and coordinators working closely with the principle investigator in the participating hospitals

Off Site Logistics

Off-Site Logistics

This includes quality assurance procedure set up, checking ethics approval, registering patients, collection, collation and review of incoming data, and follow-up of patients

Off Site Statistic Sets

Off-Site Statistic Sets

Biostatitian activities, including developing the method of data analysis, determining sample size, developing data validity check and specific databases

Other Operational Costs

Other Operational Costs

May include legal and insurance costs for agreements between participating hospitals as well as trial communication costs

Participation in clinical trials is always voluntary and dependent on the patient meeting certain criteria. If you’re interested in joining a trial, your first contact is normally your doctor or specialist. For more general information on entering clinical trials please click here.