JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —August 29, 2017—Nearly 100 people attended today’s Florida Policy Forum on Clinical Trials hosted by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). The event brought together Florida research experts, government officials, patients and leaders from the cancer community to raise awareness about clinical trials in the state and review strategies for recruiting more diverse participants.
Clinical trials are studies in which people volunteer to take part in tests of new drugs or procedures. Doctors use clinical trials to develop new treatments for serious diseases, such as cancer, and they serve a vital role in studying all aspects of medicine.
The forum, presented by Mayo Clinic, featured panel discussions with The Honorable Jason Brodeur (State Representative, District 28) as well as representatives from: Mayo Clinic, Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center, UF Health, and 21st Century Oncology in Jacksonville; Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa; Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami; and, UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville.
“Clinical trials provide access to promising new treatments for our patients and are essential to reduce the cancer burden in our state,” said Tushar Patel, M.B., Ch.B., dean for research at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus. “Events like this one, which includes researchers from the leading cancer institutes across our state, help to remind all of us that improving access to clinical trials must be a priority.”
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsors most government-funded cancer clinical trials. The NCI has a list of active studies (those currently enrolling patients), as well as some privately funded studies. The list can be found on their website at www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/ or by calling 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Approximately 124,740 Floridians are projected to be diagnosed with cancer this year and 43,870 will die from the disease.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
###
