Clinical studies

Clinical studies

Clinical studies are central to the discovery of new treatment options. Such studies provide information on whether a new treatment is effective or not. They also examine whether the treatment causes unintended side effects. All clinical studies are based on research results carried out in laboratories and in animal experiments (preclinical research). Clinical studies are divided into 3 different phases and approved medicines are required to pass all these phases. There are a large number of ongoing international clinical studies where new treatment methods are being tested from phase I, via phase II to phase III studies. An overview of clinical studies can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov

The three clinical phases:

Phase I studies: Investigate whether the patients tolerate the treatment.

Phase II studies: Dose adjustment and assessment of treatment effect.

Phase III studies: Documentation of effect on larger patient groups.

Studies in Norway

In Norway there are a number of ongoing clinical studies. The number of studies undertaken at an international level is high. Information regarding clinical studies in Norway can be found on the Helse Norge website (www.helsenorge.no). Helsenorge.no. Innenfor kreftfeltet vil kliniske studier oftest dreie seg om utprøving av ny type behandling, for eksempel et nytt medikament, for å undersøke om den nye behandlingen gir bedre overlevelse enn standardbehandling. I noen tilfeller kan det også være aktuelt å teste ut nye diagnostiske metoder. Begge disse typene studier kalles intervensjonsstudier; man gjør en intervensjon/noe nytt og tester ut om det er nyttig.

Clinical intervention studies for patients with brain cancer

Until recently, there were only a limited number of clinical studies for brain tumor patients in Norway. This has, however, changed due to increased dedicated research. Today, there are a number of studies that are relevant for patients with brain tumours. Information about our current studies (PDF) where new patients have been included, and also our planned studies that are expected to open for patient enrolment in the near future can be found here. We have provided contact information for the doctor responsible for each of our studies in order to provide answers to any questions you may have.

The goal of NBTC is to offer more patients the possibility to participate in clinical intervention studies.

In close collaboration with the Cancer Society and the Norwegian Brain Tumor Association, our aim is to offer more Norwegian patients the opportunity to participate in both ongoing and future clinical trials in order to increase the number of treatment options. To achieve this, we will circulate information about the trials among professionals as well as to the general public to increase awareness of our objectives. In this context, it is also important to coordinate communication between the various treatment centers in Norway, to ensure that the knowledge obtained during the studies informs both scientific research and clinical practices. As part of this network contacts have also been made with the pharmaceutical industry in order to enroll patients in studies supported by pharmaceutical companies. The group is led by oncologist Petter Brandal at Oslo University Hospital with members from Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, St. Olavs Hospital University Hospital in Trondheim and the University Hospital of Northern Norway.