Cancer patients are willing to undergo many tests, including high radiation dose CT and PET exams, to receive advanced experimental treatments in clinical trials, according to a new study.
The study, from the Mayo Clinic of Arizona, Scottsdale Healthcare, and the Translational Genomics Research Institute, included 61 cancer patients with advanced malignancies.
The patients were asked what tests and medical imaging studies they would be willing to undergo while participating in clinical studies, according to Dr. Raoul Tibes, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine in hematology/oncology and associate director of the Mayo Clinic's acute and chronic leukemia program.
Patients were most willing to undergo CT, PET, x-ray, ultrasound, and echocardiography. They were least willing to have a MRI scan.
Among laboratory tests, patients were most willing to have blood and urine tests, and they were least willing to undergo tumor and skin biopsies.
The study could aid the design of patient-friendly, biomarker-driven clinical studies involving cancer, according to Tibes. He believes that patients should be asked what they are willing to tolerate and be informed of the goals of the clinical research.
