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NeoplasmNCT00001695

Survey of the Use of Alternative Medical Therapies in Adult Cancer Patients Enrolled in Phase I Clinical Trials

An observational study of Neoplasm, run by National Cancer Institute (NCI) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Simultaneous use of alternative or complementary medical therapies by cancer patients undergoing conventional medical treatment is extremely common and may not always be disclosed to the patient's treating physician. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any age
Conditions the study is for
Neoplasm
How many people
125 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Apr 1998to Jan 2002
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Patients must be registered and actively participating in a Phase I clinical trial in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, National Naval Medical Center.

Patients must be able to give signed, informed consent.

Patients must be greater than or equal to 18 years old.

Patients must be medically well enough to be interviewed and to fill out the study questionnaire.

Patients must not have been previously enrolled in this study.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892

Other trials in United States

About this study

Simultaneous use of alternative or complementary medical therapies by cancer patients undergoing conventional medical treatment is extremely common and may not always be disclosed to the patient's treating physician. Cancer patients undergoing Phase I therapy on clinical trials constitute a special population of patients, since by definition, their prescribed therapy is scientifically unproven in terms of efficacy. Phase I patients are closely monitored for adverse effects in order to identify and characterize the toxicities and to define a tolerable dose of their experimental treatment. Thus, the unrecognized use of alternative therapies by patients actively enrolled in phase I trials may potentially confound rational drug development by causing adverse side effects or by contributing to drug interactions. Examples of clinical toxicities induced by alternative medical treatments include liver dysfunction or renal failure caused by herbal preparations, or hematologic abnormalities, such as eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome caused by tryptophan food supplements. Therefore, it is important to document and determine the prevalence of alternative therapy use in this specific patient population; however, this issue has not previously been examined in a scientifically rigorous manner. We propose to conduct a survey and interview study of phase I cancer patients enrolled in ongoing clinical trials at the National Cancer Institute to determine the prevalence of alternative therapy use in this population. This study will also examine patient attitudes and perceptions regarding their use of alternative therapy as compared with their scientifically-sanctioned phase I experimental therapy. This information has important implications for drug development.

Read the detailed description

Simultaneous use of alternative or complementary medical therapies by cancer patients undergoing conventional medical treatment is extremely common and may not always be disclosed to the patient's treating physician. Cancer patients undergoing Phase I therapy on clinical trials constitute a special population of patients, since by definition, their prescribed therapy is scientifically unproven in terms of efficacy. Phase I patients are closely monitored for adverse effects in order to identify and characterize the toxicities and to define a tolerable dose of their experimental treatment. Thus, the unrecognized use of alternative therapies by patients actively enrolled in phase I trials may potentially confound rational drug development by causing adverse side effects or by contributing to drug interactions. Examples of clinical toxicities induced by alternative medical treatments include liver dysfunction or renal failure caused by herbal preparations, or hematologic abnormalities, such as eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome caused by tryptophan food supplements. Therefore, it is important to document and determine the prevalence of alternative therapy use in this specific patient population; however, this issue has not previously been examined in a scientifically rigorous manner. We propose to conduct a survey and interview study of phase I cancer patients enrolled in ongoing clinical trials at the National Cancer Institute to determine the prevalence of alternative therapy use in this population. This study will also examine patient attitudes and perceptions regarding their use of alternative therapy as compared with their scientifically-sanctioned phase I experimental therapy. This information has important implications for drug development.

Conditions
Neoplasm
Keywords
Complementary Medicine, Unproven Treatments, Herbal
Medical subject headings
Neoplasms

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted4 Nov 1999 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 1998
  3. Study completionJan 2002

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Enrolment
125 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00001695
Sponsor's protocol ID
980098
Other IDs
98-C-0098
Status last verified
Jan 2002
First submitted
3 Nov 1999
Last updated
4 Mar 2008
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Eisenberg DM, Kessler RC, Foster C, Norlock FE, Calkins DR, Delbanco TL. Unconventional medicine in the United States. Prevalence, costs, and patterns of use. N Engl J Med. 1993 Jan 28;328(4):246-52. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199301283280406.

    PubMed 8418405
  • Cassileth BR, Chapman CC. Alternative and complementary cancer therapies. Cancer. 1996 Mar 15;77(6):1026-34. No abstract available.

    PubMed 8635119

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Neoplasm, run by National Cancer Institute (NCI) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Mar 2008. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00001695, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Mar 2008.

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