24 Jul Navigating clinical trials for cancer treatments
A knowledgeable and compassionate team of nurses helps cancer patients at the UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center learn about and connect to clinical trials that may provide another avenue for treatment.
Sarah Kotila, RN, BSN, Clinical Trials Navigator Manager at Carbone Cancer Center, and her team of Clinical Trial Nurse Navigators can talk with patients at any time after their cancer diagnosis to answer questions, provide support and conduct an initial review of existing clinical trials at Carbone they may be eligible to join.
“I really want to make sure that patients know clinical trials can be a potential treatment option to consider at any point in their cancer treatment,” Kotila said. “We have clinical trials that apply to patients when they’re first diagnosed, for early-stage disease, or after people have had a number of lines of therapy. Our trials can also be pre- and post-surgical. Clinical trials are not a last resort — sometimes, the sooner you can explore clinical trials, the more treatment options you can have.”
On average, Carbone has about 250 open clinical trials that span several cancer types and include studies for new therapies, symptom management, diagnostic techniques, preventive medicine and survivorship care. These trials are crucial to advancing all facets of patient care. Read more …