Interactive clinical trials website launches

Why do only a small percentage of adult cancer patients participate in clinical trials? “Clinical trials are extremely important as more and more cancer drugs are developed that need to be tested,” says Samuel Jacobs, MD, associate director of clinical investigations at UPMC Cancer Centers. “Unfortunately, many cancer patients have fears and misconceptions about these trials.”

To combat these misconceptions and encourage greater participation, UPMC Cancer Centers has launched an interactive, educational website designed to help cancer patients and their families learn about cancer clinical trials. The site, which can be accessed at www.UPMCCancerCenters.com/trials, simulates a conversation by allowing visitors to type in their own unique questions and receive video-based answers from other cancer patients, medical experts, and educational guides. The site was developed in conjunction with MedRespond LLC, a company founded to commercialize a Carnegie Mellon University-patented technology called the Synthetic Interview, which offers interactive capabilities with questions answered in real time.

The site offers visitors access to an extensive menu of clinical trials topics including: what happens during a clinical trial; why people participate in clinical trials; side effects and safety; apprehensions and misconceptions; how to find a clinical trial; insurance coverage and costs; and definitions of common terms associated with clinical trials. The site also addresses minority participation in clinical trials. Typically, there has been apprehension and mistrust on the part of minorities because of the legacy of clinical trials such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. The new website includes a special section devoted to the legacy of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and its impact on the participation of African Americans in clinical trials. “Our hope is that this site will allay a patient’s fears and provide helpful information by allowing patients to ask questions openly from the privacy of their own homes,” Dr. Jacobs explains.

In addition to Dr. Jacobs, experts featured on the site include Dwight Heron, MD, director of Radiation Oncology Services, UPMC Cancer Centers, and Marguerite Bonaventura, MD, assistant professor, Division of Surgical Oncology. The site was developed by Valerie Monaco, PhD; Beth Simon, PhD; and Suzanne Pozzani, all of UPMC Cancer Centers.

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