Cancer Research & Clinical Trials
Helping Yourself — And Others
If you’d like to explore additional possibilities for the treatment of cancer — either to help yourself today or others in the future — we can provide that option. CentraCare - Willmar Cancer Center, as part of the Metro Minnesota Community Research Consortium (MMCORC), a non-profit research program sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), offers access to various clinical trials or research studies.
Clinical trials are conducted for cancer prevention, treatment, and control, which includes symptom management, toxicity reduction, supportive and palliative care, and quality of life research.
Since its inception in 1983, the MMCORC has linked community cancer specialists, primary care physicians and other health care professionals to NCI-approved research studies, called clinical trials. In our community, many patients are enrolled in NCI-sponsored treatment studies and cancer prevention and symptom management studies.
Advances in the prevention and treatment of cancer and controlling the side effects of cancer treatment depend on information gained from well-conducted national clinical trials. Improvements in survival and prevention for many types of cancer are due to the widespread acceptance of treatment advances confirmed in clinical trials.
There are many reasons people choose to participate in clinical trials:
- To receive a new treatment for their cancer.
- To receive a new treatment to manage the side effects of their cancer treatment.
- To participate in new methods to prevent or detect cancer.
- To contribute to the medical knowledge for improving cancer care and helping future patients.
Clinical trials are approved by the National Cancer Institute and include the highest standard of care. If you’re interested and would like to learn more about eligibility for a clinical trial, please inform your cancer care coordinator.
