INTERNATIONAL CLINICAL TRIALS DAY, MAY 20

Cancer Trials Ireland is hosting an inaugural virtual cancer retreat to mark International Clinical Trials Day on May 20. With 69 cancer trials currently enrolling in Ireland, the organisers are urging patients to ‘Just Ask’ their doctor if there is one for them.

Cancer Trials Ireland is the national organisation responsible for overseeing cancer trials in Ireland.

The inaugural Cancer Retreat takes place the day after International Clinical Trials Day, on Friday, May 21. The conference will take place virtually with An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, making the opening address. Aimed at cancer researchers, the morning session will also be open to patients, advocates and members of the public and will explore possibilities for the next five years in Irish cancer clinical trials research. To view the Retreat programme and to register free of charge, visit.cancertrials.ie

Each year in Ireland, approximately 45,000 people are diagnosed with cancer and it is estimated that one in two people will develop cancer at some stage during their lifetime.

Clinical trials offer new ways to prevent, find and treat cancer. They provide participants with access to treatments or procedures not available to other patients – treatments that are potentially better than those currently available. All of the treatments now in routine use in health settings were once tested through a clinical trial.

Between the years 2000 and 2020, 30,770 patients were enrolled on 786 cancer clinical trials in Ireland. Based on figures reported from sites for the first quarter of this year, a total of 153 patients have been enrolled in 40 trials to date. Almost all cancer clinical trials available in Ireland are listed on the Cancer Trials Ireland website cancertrials.ie/open-trials