[lou_lou]

The status of clinical trials has been under the spotlight recently.


3 4 Stiller reviewed published data on survival rates for cancer in relation to patterns of organisation of medical care–specifically treatment by protocol, usually within the context of a clinical trial, and also treatment at specialist centres.1 Entry into trials (and centralised referral) was often associated with higher survival rates, particularly with less common cancers, and was never found to be associated with a lower survival rate.

Patients themselves are usually willing to participate, attracted by being treated by a doctor with a specialist interest and encouraged by the promise of close monitoring of their progress.2 In our series only four refused to enter when asked.

Many patients are considered for studies but not entered on the clinician's decision. Even with our own group's positive attitude to trials and policy of putting as many patients as possible into studies, this explanation has consistently accounted for around 7% of patients. Almost half of our patients, however, were not considered for trials for genuine reasons: the eligibility criteria of particular trials excluded them on age or medical grounds or there was no appropriate current trial (old trials finished, new trials not yet started–as was the case in the last two years of our study period, when recruitment was temporarily lower). Such selection may be an important factor in determining the different outcomes between patients who take part in trials and those who do not. In particular, older and iller patients tend not to be entered into studies, and survival in this group will naturally be poor.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/314/7073/36

[lou_lou]

Why are they putting ill patients into drug studies that have PD,
in the USA? if their is a cancer link???

Family history of melanoma linked to Parkinson's disease

Published:
Monday, February 16, 2009 - 16:22 in Health & Medicine
Learn more about: american academy of neurology cancer researchers family history genetic components melanoma


People with a family history of melanoma may have a greater risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 to May 2, 2009. The study involved nearly 157,000 people who did not have Parkinson's disease. They were asked if their parents or siblings had been diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Researchers then traced their progress for a period of 14 to 20 years. During that time, 616 of the people were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Researchers found that people with a reported family history of melanoma were nearly twice as likely to develop Parkinson's as people with no family history.

http://esciencenews.com/articles/200...insons.disease

my thesis:
is that absolutely no PD patient should be put through
Clinical trials for Cancer!
and zero PD adult stem cell transplant patients should never be put
through SHAM Freakin surgery...

[jeanb]

If i read your first post correctly -- 7% of cancer patients paticipate in clinical trials!!

And we know that fewer than 1% of people with parkinson's participate in clinical trials!

[lou_lou]

dear jeanb,
I do not blame those for not being apart of clinical trials,
and it is a matter of choice...