How To Get Admitted Into Ovarian Cancer Clinical Trials

Ovarian cancer is a deadly disease affecting ovarian tissue and is the fifth most common type of cancer among women, according to the American Cancer Association.

The treatments for ovarian cancer vary and can include chemotherapy, surgical intervention, and radiation methods, but the relapse rate is still rather high.

Another issue is that this type of cancer is generally diagnosed in later stages when the survival rates are lower.

Research in the form of clinical trials has been somewhat successful in increasing survival rates. Some researchers are looking for better screening methods that will allow for earlier discovery of ovarian cancer, while other cancer clinical trials focusing on ovarian cancer are working on less invasive treatment procedures.

What Do Clinical Trials for Ovarian Cancer Look Like?

Ovarian cancer clinical trials follow the National Institutes of Health (NIH) definition of a clinical trial as a research in which humans are subjected to particular procedures or treatments to analyze the impact these procedures have on ovarian cancer patients.

Not all ovarian cancer research requires the application of certain treatments—some don't require any intervention from the research team at all.

These are observational studies, a type of clinical study done without any interference from the researcher to assess patients' responses to therapy.

Actual clinical trials do require interference from the research team, and they are often called interventional studies. These are randomized clinical trials, which means that you can be randomly assigned to either a control group or the active group once you sign up.

Clinical trials usually work by assigning the control group with a placebo and the active group with the treatment being tested.

When it comes to cancer trials, the process is a bit different. The control group doesn't receive a placebo—they get the best treatment available for that type of ovarian cancer.

This type of trial can take one of three forms:

The open-label research in which both the patients and the research team know which group is receiving the standard treatment and which one gets the new drug
The single-blind research where only the researcher knows who gets which type of treatment
The double-blind research when no one is familiar with which treatment the patients are receiving

What Are Eligibility Criteria To Participate in a Clinical Trial for Ovarian Cancer?

Healthy volunteers can join a clinical trial for ovarian cancer if the research revolves around cancer prevention methods.

That is a rare occurrence because even these types of trials often only include individuals at high risk of getting ovarian cancer.

Some clinical trials for ovarian cancer recurrence include healthy people who had ovarian cancer in the past.

In most cases, to participate in a clinical trial focused on ovarian cancer, you have to fit a particular target group.

The recruitment process varies, but some aspects researchers take into consideration, depending on the purpose of the research, are:

Biological sex
Age
Type of ovarian cancer
Stage of cancer
Previous treatment

If you manage to find a clinical trial that is well suited for you, the benefits can be huge—early access to new treatments or possible solutions for recurring ovarian cancer. You will also get constant care and monitoring from physicians specialized in this field.

Take note that whatever clinical trial you sign up to, you have a right to withdraw at any moment.

What Are the Phases of Ovarian Cancer Clinical Trials?

Clinical trials are done in three or four separate phases. Sometimes there is even a phase 0 that consists of all the preparatory aspects.

By separating the trials into phases, researchers can establish the safety and effectiveness of the treatment, with the minimum risk to the patient.

Here are the four most common clinical trial phases:

Phase I	The initial phase is done with a limited number of subjects. The goal is to find the appropriate dosage and method of administration. The purpose of this phase is to test if the drug is safe and under which conditions
Phase II	A phase conducted to check the effectiveness of the treatment. Includes several hundreds of patients. Requires patients with a specific type of ovarian cancer
Phase III	The first phase to involve a large number of participants and to introduce randomized groups. The goal is to compare the treatment being tested against the standard one
Phase IV	An optional phase that analyses the long term effects of the treatment. Takes place after a drug or method receives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval

How To Find New Clinical Trials for Ovarian Cancer With DoNotPay

Finding a suitable ovarian cancer clinical trial is not as simple as typing "clinical trials near me" in your web browser.

There are numerous clinical trials, observational studies, and medical surveys for different ovarian cancer types, stages, and treatments that you may be eligible for.

DoNotPay offers you a way to access the clinical trial database and find the ovarian cancer study you want without wasting time.

Here is how to do it:

Open DoNotPay in your web browser
Tap the Clinical Trials feature
Select Get Started
Filter your search by distance, expected compensation, safety, randomization, and other factors.
Click on the trial you want to join
Tap Contact

DoNotPay will get in touch with the researchers to increase your odds of admission.

Take note that if you are admitted, you get to keep 100% of the compensation.

Alternative Methods To Find Ovarian Cancer Clinical Trials

There are several other methods to search for ovarian cancer clinical trials. Here is the list of trustworthy sources:

ClinicalTrials platform is one of the largest registries of clinical trials in the world. You can not only find ovarian cancer trials but even specific studies such as clinical trials for ovarian cancer stage IV or platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, as well as vaccine-based and immunotherapy clinical trials for this serious disease
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center has a website presenting clinical trials conducted in Bethesda. It includes an assortment of ovarian cancer clinical trials
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) offers a search feature for cancer-related clinical trials
Mayo Clinic includes a variety of clinical trials on its premises, many of which focused on ovarian cancer
University of California San Francisco website presents a section with UCSF clinical trials focused on ovarian cancer

Use DoNotPay for Other Daily Issues

Did you know that DoNotPay can help cancer patients manage their bills?

We can assist you with all sorts of medical paperwork issues, such as dealing with your other medical bills, finding appropriate loans for your medical costs, canceling your UnitedHealthcare subscription, or terminating the Oscar Health policy.

We can also help with requesting refunds, signing up for free trials with a virtual credit card, or reporting email blackmail.

Open DoNotPay in your web browser and find out out how we can assist you with: