Myths about Clinical Trials

MYTH

Clinical trials are reserved only for late-stage cancers as a last-ditch effort and can often delay treatment or limit treatment options.

FACT

Clinical trials are often recommended and extremely effective for early-stage cancers. From new diagnosis to advanced disease, some investigational treatments are safer and offer fewer side effects and better outcomes than the standard treatment available.

To inquire about clinical trials or reach a nurse navigator:

703.636.1473

MYTH

Patients can’t withdrawal from a clinical trial once they commit.

FACT

Participation is fully voluntary, and patients can voluntarily withdraw at any time without affecting their future medical care.

MYTH

Clinical trials are only offered at hospitals or academic institutions.

FACT

There are hundreds of thousands of clinical trials offered in many settings, including at Virginia Cancer Specialists, which operates the largest clinical trial portfolio in the Mid-Atlantic.

MYTH

I most likely won’t match with a clinical trial.

FACT

With more than 200 actively enrolling clinical trials, we have a trial for nearly every cancer type and mutation.

MYTH

I’m not equipped to know if a trial is right for me.

FACT

Our dedicated Clinical Trial Nurse Navigators are here to offer you a one-on-one phone or virtual consultation to help you determine whether a clinical trial is right for you. Our clinical team is ready to assist you: 703-636-1473 or VCSResearchReferrals@USOncology.com.

MYTH

I can’t afford a clinical trial.

FACT

Most insurance plans, including Medicaid, cover clinical trials as standard care, reducing patient costs. Our dedicated Clinical Trial Nurse Navigators are here to help you understand any out-of-pocket treatment costs, if any: 703-636-1473 or VCSResearchReferrals@USOncology.com.

MYTH

I’m worried about stopping my current treatments to try something new.

FACT

Some trials allow you to continue your current treatments, while others integrate new therapies with existing ones. Our dedicated Clinical Trial Nurse Navigators can help walk you through your options: 703-636-1473 or VCSResearchReferrals@USOncology.com.

MYTH

I’m worried I’ll be a guinea pig or not receive any treatment at all and only a placebo.

FACT

Patients who join cancer treatment trials are offered promising, novel treatments not available yet to the public, which are often superior to standard of care treatments. Placebos—an inactive medicine designed to appear similar to the medicine being tested—are rarely used in cancer clinical trials and never in place of standard treatment. If you have questions about the use of placebos, please call or email our dedicated Clinical Trial Nurse Navigators: 703-636-1473 or VCSResearchReferrals@USOncology.com.

“Dr. Spira is warm, welcoming, and most importantly, knowledgeable. I saw a different oncologist before him & changing doctors was the best move I ever made! The difference was night & day, in how I was treated, the communication, the expertise, the willingness to go to bat for me. And it’s not just Dr. Spira — this is the “corporate culture” expected here, and it applies to EVERYONE in the practice, from the receptionists, to the nurses, to the phlebotomists, and everyone else I’ve interacted with.”

To inquire about clinical trials or reach a nurse navigator:

703.636.1473