New Way to Track Potential Clinical Trials

Finding an appropriate clinical trial for patients with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma has become much easier with the TrialCheck® Web site, a clinical trials search service through The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) web site.

TrialCheck, launched in collaboration with the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups (CCCG), offers quick access to the most current list of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and related blood cancer clinical trials currently underway. The services, available throughout the United States and Canada, gives patients and caregivers greater ability to explore cancer clinical trials as a potential treatment option at time of diagnosis and throughout the treatment process.

Ed Ciborowski, MLSW, MLS, senior information specialist in the LLS Information Resource Center, said he has gotten very positive feedback from patients and caregivers who have used the service. Ciborowski helped one patient, a 34-year-old woman with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma, who has been through multiple treatments, seek out trials testing novel antibody or biological approaches. "The patient was very appreciative for the assistance with this very personalized search for trials she could discuss with her doctors," Ciborowski said.

Replacing an earlier LLS search tool, TrialCheck contains more than 4,000 cancer clinical trials from Cooperative Groups, the National Cancer Institute, academic centers, pharmaceutical and biotech companies. TrialCheck is updated on a daily basis with new information; the latest improved services include subsets for myelodysplastic syndromes.

To use the TrialCheck service, patients answer a short list of questions before receiving a list of clinical trials targeted to the patient's diagnosis, disease type, stage and ZIP code preference. Patients can also receive telephone support from LLS's Information Resource Center, (800) 955-4572, where trained specialists also use TrialCheck.