Research and Education

Translational Research

Clinical trials are the way that new drugs, technology, and treatments are tested. The trial verifies safety, effectiveness, and side effects compared to current standards. Every drug you have ever taken and every procedure you have gone through is the result of years of research and clinical study.

In today's society, due to the overwhelming costs associated with the trials, most clinical trials are sponsored by pharmaceutical firms. The benefits are that the clinical trials are very thorough, and that the trials normally occur at multiple facilities. This increases the number of participants, providing a better understanding of the outcome. A drawback is that the trials are dictated by the pharmaceutical firm. A participating facility, like Radiation Oncology, cannot request something be researched or investigated.

To meet this challenge, Radiation Oncology has its own basic science research programs, researching biological methods (Free Radical and Radiation Biology) and medical physics for new technology. To streamline research results into the clinic the department has a translational research team. To get a clinical trial up and running, the team must obtain approval from various regulatory agencies, including national agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and local representatives of other federal agencies and the National Cancer Institute. After approval has been granted, research coordinators make sure the protocol is followed and watch for any sign of problems. If the trial is successfully completed, a statistician reviews the information to determine if the treatment or procedure was helpful. If so, a larger clinical trial may occur.

Clinical trials currently enrolling patients in the Department of Radiation Oncology