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Your stories

Clinical Trials - A Patient’s Journey

Embedded thumbnail for This story follows the journey of a patient, her specialist and the clinical trial researcher during a clinical trial

Leslie was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer in August 2009. Shortly after her oncologist Dr Ross Jennings advised her of a suitable clinical trial.

Participants

Embedded thumbnail for Jarryd, participant

"I’d advise anyone considering a clinical trial to be as open as you can.  The benefits can be huge "

Embedded thumbnail for Robert, Stroke Trial Participant

“ Throughout my clinical trial I was closely monitored. It was reassuring for us to get all that information. ”

Embedded thumbnail for Professor Paul Myles, Director of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, The Alfred Hospital

“ Clinical trials help us solve really big problems and have an incredible impact on our patient’s future. ”

Embedded thumbnail for Megan and Leila,Type One Diabetes Trial Participants

“We participated because at the end of the day, we don’t want any more kids getting type one diabetes. ”

Embedded thumbnail for Dr Victoria Hayes, General Practitioner

I think clinical trials and research are part of life in a modern practice.

Embedded thumbnail for Mark, Hemophilia B Trial participant

I’m hoping the results will change lives in my family for generations to come.

Bradley Selmon

I feel this clinical trial has saved my life

Embedded thumbnail for John, Bowel Cancer Trial Participant

I was… sympathetically and thoroughly monitored both during the treatment and for the years afterwards.

Embedded thumbnail for David, Enthusiastic Trial Participant

I am in awe of the trials teams and how competent and motivated they are. How could I not want to help them in their quest to improve cancer therapies for people like me?

Embedded thumbnail for Heather, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Trial Participant

If it helped me, it will help many others in the future, in the world’s journey to find a reason and a cure for MS.

Embedded thumbnail for Tom, Cancer Trial Participant

This wasn’t about grasping at straws to stay alive – by doing this, I was able to do something much bigger for other people as well.

Australian Clinical Trials Logo

I was told I had roughly six to 12 months to live, then I saw Dr Peter Grimison and was compatible with a trial chemotherapy drug.

Australian Clinical Trials Logo

Anything to help society or other people with this condition.

Australian Clinical Trials Logo

I knew every day and every volunteer would make a difference to improving the potential of finding a solution.

Australian Clinical Trials Logo

The trial has been great. The best thing about it is that I’m still alive! The trial has given me a chance to find something that works for me, and that I hope will also be of help to others...

Australian Clinical Trials Logo

I am a part of something that is contributing not only to my wellbeing but others in my situation. It’s a very positive feeling.

Australian Clinical Trials Logo

Encouraging my boys to participate was not only about their own health, but the potential to make a contribution to the worldwide search for a cure to this chronic disease.

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Clinical trials will often improve the diagnosis, treatment and management of people with cancer.

Embedded thumbnail for Adele, Breast Cancer Trial Participant

The support in the years following treatment was crucial to my wellbeing.

Embedded thumbnail for Tony, Prostate Cancer Participant

My current clinical trial is a lifesaver for me

Embedded thumbnail for Leslie, Breast Cancer Trial Participant

I decided to participate in a clinical trial to not only help women today but to also help future generations. I would never want my kids to have to go through what I did.

Leonie Young

I know that I have benefited from the results of breast cancer clinical trials and that more women are surviving cancer today than ever before.

Researchers

Embedded thumbnail for Professor Christopher Reid, NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, Curtin and Monash Universities, - Community Based Clinical Trials

Each and every trial makes a major contribution to our understanding of how best to prevent, treat and manage chronic diseases.

Embedded thumbnail for Associate Professor Lisa Horvath, Director of Medical Oncology & Acting Director of Research, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse

It’s incredibly important that we’re able to take basic research findings and real-life treatment experience and work with the researchers to run clinical trials to change how we manage patients and improve survival.

Embedded thumbnail for Dr Karen Best, Researcher, SAHMRI

Improvements in healthcare does not just happen, quality clinical research is essential to ensure that advances in preventative health and new treatments for disease are based on high quality evidence.

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People get involved because they want to be part of a project that will make a difference.

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Ultimately, health care practice is based on knowledge derived from clinical trials.

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Clinical trials are about teamwork and patients are an integral part of the team working together to improve scientific knowledge, treatment options and clinical outcomes.

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I have seen how clinical trials can change our health care, and how they help people … We have seen the cure rates for kids’ cancer go from less than 10 per cent to over 80 per cent.

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I have witnessed trial results translate into direct benefit for patients now and in the future, this is the most rewarding element of my job.

Embedded thumbnail for Professor Catherine Cole, Stan Perron Chair of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology Princess Margaret Hospital

The improvements in outcomes for children with cancer and leukaemia in the last half century have been phenomenal…This has come about purely and simply because they have been enrolled on clinical trials.

Embedded thumbnail for Professor Fran Boyle AM, Medical Oncologist and Board Director, Breast Cancer Trials

One of the most satisfying things about my job is to be able to say to patients that today we have choices in their treatments.

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Being involved in a clinical trial gives patients an 'extra set of eyes’ to watch over them during their health care journey.

Laura Adams

I feel very privileged every day in my role as a researcher in dealing with clinical trial participants.

Industry and Sponsors

Australian Clinical Trials Logo

Australia has the clinical trial infrastructure that allows a trial to be established very quickly.

Australian Clinical Trials Logo

Australia has been a key contributor in the development of cutting edge new medicines in a huge range of therapeutic areas for Novartis.

Health Care Providers

Embedded thumbnail for Dr Ross Jennens, Medical Oncologist

Dr Ross Jennens, Medical OncologistThe only way to know is this medication actually better than our standard medication?.. is to do a clinical trial and compare it with our standard treatment.

Embedded thumbnail for Professor  Howard Gurney, Head of Clinical Research for Medical Oncology

Clinical trials are the best way to improve the care of our patients and get more treatment options for them.  

Embedded thumbnail for Professor  Mark Nelson, General Practitioner

I want to know what I can recommend to my patients, and that's what clinical trials do.

Embedded thumbnail for Professor Paul Glasziou, General Practitioner

Clinical trials are not just about improvement in drugs, it's about improvements in the choices in management and the choices in the organisation of care. 

Embedded thumbnail for Professor Jennifer Reath, Professor, General Practitioner

I think clinical trials are incredibly important in providing evidence for what we do every day in general practice.