Prostate Cancer Notes and Notable – Dr. Tomasz Beer, co-author of Cancer Clinical Trials: A Commonsense Guide to Experimental Cancer Therapies and Clinical Trials

Drug Market Info presents Prostate Cancer Notes & Notable, an interview series with leading voices in the fight to cure Prostate Cancer. (For more data on Prostate Cancer, see the Drug Market Info Prostate Cancer Fact Sheet)

Today’s interview is again with Dr. Tomasz Beer, M.C., F.A.C.P.. (Click here for yesterdays interview focusing on Prostate Cancer) Dr. Beer is a medical oncologist who leads a research and clinical trial program at Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute, and who specializes in the treatment of prostate cancer. Dr. Beer devoted a good portion of the past year to writing a book about cancer clinical trials together with Larry Axmaker, Ed.D, a cancer survivor and clinical trial participant. The book is entitled  Cancer Clinical Trials: A Commonsense Guide to Experimental Cancer Therapies and Clinical Trials. Dr. Beer co-authored this book because he wanted to contribute to the fight against cancer. Here are his comments…

Please tell us a little about your new book and who should read it?

“Cancer Clinical Trials” is written for people living with cancer, their families and loved ones. We hope to make clinical trials and the experimental therapies they offer much less intimidating and by doing so, help people make the best decisions for their cancer care. We delve into all facets of clinical trials, from design and principles, to strategies for finding and choosing a trial to issues of insurance coverage and many other practical aspects.

We have found the book is also of interest to physicians in training, nurses, and other health professionals who interact with patients and need to know the fundamentals of experimental cancer therapy. It may also be of interest to pharmaceutical companies who want to understand how to approach clinical trial recruitment.

What prompted you to write this book?

For 15 years now, I have been deeply involved in clinical trials. I have talked to thousands of cancer patients about hundreds of clinical trials. Despite the fact that we spend a lot of time with each potential participant, I frequently had the nagging feeling that we could never quite do a good enough job sharing all the knowledge I wanted to share with my patients. The book was the only way to get this done.

What do you think is the most important message (or most unique point) in the book?

The book is meant to be an A to Z guide to clinical trials, from what they are, to how to decide if a clinical trial is right for one’s cancer care plan, to many practical aspects of

taking part in a clinical trial. There are many different messages I would want to highlight. If there is one, I would say that in cancer care, there is a need for improvement and advances throughout the continuum of cancer care.

Clinical trials are not just for folks who have no other options. Even when a well-established standard treatment is available, there is often room for improvement. Every person diagnosed with cancer should be knowledgeable about clinical trials so they can make truly informed decisions about their care.

What makes patients willing (or not) to participate in a clinical trial? Does the type of trial make a difference?

I think a trial needs to make sense for a particular situation. First and foremost, it has to be a well-designed trial that asks a sensible question. It has to offer a sensible alternative to the other options. There has to be some potential advantage, for example more effective therapy or less toxic therapy. What that translates into varies greatly by situation.

In prostate cancer, for example, there are situations where the disease is growing slowly and we would ordinarily just watch it. Very low risk interventions may be attractive here. There are also situations where the disease is very aggressive and other treatments aren’t working. More risk might be appropriate in that setting.

What do patients need to be aware of before they decide to enter a trial?

The single most important thing is to be knowledgeable about one’s disease and standard treatment options. Only then can one put a clinical trial option in perspective. We have a whole list of tips on our blog. I encourage readers to take a look at: http://www.cancer-clinical-trials.com/2012/04/practical-tips-on-choosing-clinical.html.

Would the book be beneficial for a company conducting clinical trials?

Absolutely. Participation in clinical trials remains disappointingly low. For companies working hard to move a drug forward, this results in far greater cost. From the time it takes to get a trial done, to the number of sites needed to complete a study, the low participation of people living with cancer is a major challenge to the pharmaceutical industry. We expect that the book will provide cancer patients the knowledge they need to confidently consider a clinical trial for their cancer care and therefore increase trial participation. We think every oncology office that conducts clinical trials should have this book available to their patients as a critical educational resource.

The book may also help with subject retention. Early drop out of research subjects is another challenge for clinical trials. When this happens for good reasons, such as dangerous side effects, that is unavoidable. We believe sometimes it also happens because patients don’t have enough knowledge about how to navigate the responsibilities of being a study participant. The book can help.

Is there anything that would help companies conducting clinical trials?

We think that making the book available at trial sites so that patients can approach their care decisions with strong knowledge about clinical trials will increase trial accrual. Folks already participating in a trial will also feel more secure in being a study subject armed with the knowledge the book provides. Our clinical trial system is incredibly inefficient and dismal participation of cancer patients in clinical trials is a key contributor. We are convinced that accessible knowledge about clinical trials will help substantially.

Cancer Clinical Trials: A Commonsense Guide to Experimental Cancer Therapies and Clinical Trials by Tomasz M Beer, MD and Larry Axmaker, Ed.D
Pub. Date: April 2012/Price: $16.95
ISBN 13: 978-0-9823219-7-3/Trade Paperback: 192 pages

Where can Cancer Clinical Trials be purchased?

The easiest way is to go to Amazon.com and type in “cancer clinical trials” or “Tomasz Beer.” The book shows right up. You can also go to the book’s Amazon page. For bulk purchases, a discounted price may be available from our publisher. More information can be found on the authors’ blog and at the publisher’s website.