What is a Clinical Trial?

What is a clinical trial?

Clinical trials are an important care option that you should consider and discuss with your healthcare team when considering treatments for multiple myeloma. A clinical trial is research that studies better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose and/or treat disease. Clinical trials are research studies that compare the standard of care with a new approach. The standard of care is the most effective known treatment available. Almost every cancer treatment that patients receive today, are a result of a clinical trial and patients who were willing to help science find new and better ways to treat disease.

Clinical trials are used for all types and stages of multiple myeloma. These studies may evaluate new drugs, different combinations of existing treatments and new methods of treatment. They may also study new ways to relieve symptoms and side effects during or after treatment. In addition, there are studies for patients with smoldering myeloma to try to prevent it from progressing to active multiple myeloma.