Cancer clinical trials

Every year in Ireland, more than 24,000 people are diagnosed with invasive cancer. Unfortunately, we all will have to come to terms with a cancer diagnosis in our families at some stage, with one in every two people diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime.

That’s why the role of cancer clinical trials is so important in finding new ways to prevent, find and treat cancer, and to stop more people from dying from the disease.

Monday, May 20 is International Clinical Trials Day. To mark the day, Cancer Trials Ireland will host a public webinar from 1pm-1.45pm.

The webinar will hear from our clinical lead and medical oncologist Professor Seamus O’Reilly, on the importance of trials in developing new treatments. There will also be a discussion with a patient on their experience of taking part in a trial and what they gained from it.

Every cancer medicine in use today was once the subject of a trial to determine its safety and effectiveness. By taking part in trials, patients may receive access to a treatment not otherwise available, while also helping to find answers to cancer for future generations.

It’s important to underline that cancer trials are highly regulated. Participants are closely monitored, meaning better care and more opportunities to check in with the trial doctor and nurse support team.

In the future, we want to see a situation where every person diagnosed with cancer in Ireland is screened for potential participation in a cancer trial, should they so wish.

The webinar forms part of our Just Ask campaign to encourage people who have been diagnosed with cancer to ask their doctor or healthcare professional if there is a cancer trial to suit them.

To register for the webinar, or for more information on cancer trials currently underway here, visit www. cancertrials.ie/JustAsk.

Yours sincerely, Eibhlín Mulroe CEO, Cancer Trials Ireland, RCSI House, 121 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.