How to access precision medicine therapies
Many current precision medicine treatments are not yet “Standard of Care,” and available only via clinical trials or what is known as “Expanded Access.”
Clinical Trials
If you are just starting to learn about clinical trials as a treatment option, get oriented with our Clinical Trials Basics Learning Center. The resources there include:
- how trials work
- strategies for identifying specific trials to discuss with your care team
- questions to ask about a trial you are considering
If you are considering clinical trials, please join our COLONTOWN Facebook community and ask about our clinical trials neighborhoods. We have 9 groups dedicated to discussing trial options and outcomes.
Expanded Access
As the FDA explains in this overview, expanded access, or “compassionate use,” is a potential pathway for a cancer patient to try an investigational (or experimental) treatment outside of clinical trials when there are no comparable or “satisfactory” therapies available.
This video from Ax-S Pharma explains Expanded Access for researchers who might want to use it – but is useful for patients to understand how the system works in the United States.