A clinical trial is a scientific study designed to evaluate a promising new approach.
The need for new and better ways to treat esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancers remains urgent. As researchers develop new agents and methods (that have already been studied extensively in laboratories), clinical trials with patients are conducted to determine what dose is most appropriate, how well it works and whether it’s more effective than current standard treatments. All cancer drugs and treatments currently used as standard of care were once studied in clinical trials.
When the results of a clinical trial shows that the new approach being studied is more effective than standard treatments, it can become the new standard of care.
Esophageal trials at Roswell Park
As an elite comprehensive cancer center that’s designated by the National Cancer Institute, Roswell Park has a robust clinical research program that offers our patients access to the latest emerging treatments. Some of our current trials include:
- An agent meant to prevent complications after esophageal surgery
- A new combination of drugs as a first-line treatment
- Use of a drug that treats high blood pressure in combination with chemoradiation therapy
- Use of a new drug or drug combination for patients who have progressed on prior treatment.