Research / Clinical Trials:

Clinical Trials & Patient Participation: 

Cancer patients treated at Stony Book University Hospital (SBUH) have the opportunity to participate in the Clinical Trials Program of the Stony Brook University Cancer Center. Clinical trials offer patients access to the most promising treatments for many types of cancers.

Patients in clinical trials are among the first to receive new treatments before they are commonly available. It is widely accepted that patients who participate in clinical trials do at least as well as patients who are offered standard treatment, with the chance of even better outcomes. Patient participation in clinical trials is vital to advancing treatments for specific cancers.

When a new drug or treatment regimen offers the potential for benefit beyond the standard treatment, clinical trials are developed. All of the most effective standard cancer treatments have come about because of their initial use in clinical trials.

Clinical trials are often conducted through national cooperative research groups. Stony Brook University Medical Center oncologists participate in several national cooperative research groups that coordinate clinical trials under sponsorship of the National Cancer Institute. In addition, the Cancer Center develops clinical trials for cancer prevention and treatment based on research developed by Stony Brook University investigators.

The overall goal of the Clinical Trials Program is to continue to provide patients with the most effective treatments for cancer. All clinical trials conducted at major academic cancer centers, including the Stony Brook University Cancer Center, are managed by experienced physicians who carry out these treatment trials on patients to achieve maximum safety and comfort.