7/28/2019 Doc, I don't want to be a guinea pig!

1/1

Its not really clear hw guiea ig

came i he icure. Bu he rerai

Dc, I d wa be a guiea ig!

uually made, meime i je, whea juir dcr i abu carry u amir rcedure uch a eig u a

dri. or whe a aie i ld ha heregular r adard heray lger

eem wrk r him ad he huld

cider vel heraie.Guiea ig are acually

rarely ued r medicalreearch, ad ever rearig mir rce-

dure. Mice culd be

quie mifed by hirerai hugh.they are he em requely

ued r reearch. Burarely are heir cri-bui ackwledged by:

Dc, I d wa be a mue!Humur aide, d aie be-ei rm ariciai i cliical rial,

ad hw are hey reced i hey d?

What clinical trials entail

Medical reearch aimal r humaubjec are ricly creeed ad m-

red by he Iiuial Aimal Caread Ue Cmmiee i he cae ai-mal, r by a Iiuial Review BardIRB) i he cae huma.

aie r ideed aye, ca

meime hld he irm i-

i ha a eciic reame i

he be eve whe deii-

ive daa i available.such a ii ca ur u

be righ, r wrg. Hldig ucha belie i he abece deiiive

daa ca reve he aie rmgeig beer reame, ad

eve be harmul, i hewr-cae ceari.

Whe i i ciei-

ically uclear which w r mre -

ible reamei be r he

aie, a i-i equi-

ie exi.thi ca lybe r e lv e d

by cducig acieiically rigru

udy. Fr me medicalcdii, hi wuld i ac

be he ly way be air heaie i quei.

Fr examle, i a radmied c-rlled r a hae III rial, e w

reame r he ame cliical cdi-i i radmly aiged he aie

by a cmuer rgramme.Eiher heray r reame arm i

likely have i w aciaed rik

ad eial beei.Wihu a rerly cduced cliical

rial, here will be iuicie cieiic

daa r dcr kw which rea-

me beei a aie beer. Durighe cure he udy, i daa emerge

ha e heray i beer r aie,

Whe adard heraie are lger alicable r ueul r he aie,ew heraie may avail. Bu eve i care a iue, uch ew heraie are

uually available uide he ighly

crlled ad legilaed evirme

a cliical rial.Becaue cliical rial are very clely

mired by regulary auhriie,

aie i cliical rial are al mreclely lked afer ha aie wihimilar cdii cliical rial.

I curie wih a develed medicalad cieiic culure, aie me-

ime ravel lg diace avail hem-elve he ew heraie ered bycliical rial, kwig ha uch rea-me may be heir ly he r recv-

ery. Very e, hey are reerred by

heir alruiic regular hyicia, whmay have bee he ir irm heir

aie ha a rial beig cduced a a

aricular iiui may beei hem.s i me circumace, i may be a bad idea be a guiea ig. Hmm...

I mea a mue.

OpiniOn 17JULAUG 2013 sInGApoRE HEALtH

prer pierce Chw i aseir Cula sigareGeeral Hial Dear-me Geeral surgery, adCure Direcr a he Duke-nUs Graduae Medical schl,sigare. He ha ublihedexeively hea-biliarycacer ad garieial

rmal umur, ad carried u bh re-cliical

ad cliical reearch brachyheray i heac-ellular carcima ad acreaic cacer. prerChw ha received w naial Medical ReearchCucil Reearch Fellwhi.

pHoto:ALECIAnEo

Doc, I dont want tobe a guinea pig!For patients who no longer respond to standard treatment,participating in a clinical trial ofers the possibility o a cure

he rial will be ed ad he beer

heray will be recmmeded. I a du-

ble-blid udy where eiher he dcr

r aie kw which w drug a

aie i allcaed , a ideede

Daa ad saey Mirig Cmmiee

decide i he udy huld be ed.the member he cmmiee have

direc cac wih he aie i herial bu have ull acce daa.

Cliical rial are gvered by ric

iclui ad exclui crieria ad ly

a very eciic gru aie i eligi-

ble r ay give cliical rial. A IRB, r

iace, will cider he cdii

he aie eligible r he rial wheciderig arval a cliical rial.

Uig cacer a a examle, i here

i adard heray available r heage ha eciic dieae, hi her-

ay mu be ued ir. oly whe he

adard heray i lger eecive,

r i he adard heray i ui-able r he aie, ca he aie beerlled i a cliical rial. sme hae

I rial erl bh aie a well ahealhy idividual wh are cme-aed r heir ar iciai.

phae I udie ca have diereaim, uch a iveigae wha de a ew drug are arriae r aie,

ad may al be diere rm laerhae cliical rial which iveigaehw eecive he ew drug are. phae

I rial are very imra, a wihu

hem, ew heraie will be ir-duced.

Benefits to patients

Cliical rial are ceraily imra rciey. Bu ca idividual aie bee-

i rm cliical rial?

Bh rgaiai eure hareearch ubjec are arriaely adwell ake care . Addiially, a IRB

guided by he ricile equiiewhe ciderig arval all cliical

rial huma ubjec, exce r well

r -ill aie i hae I udie.A ii cliical equi-

ie ccur whehere i geuie

uceraiy wihihe exer medicalcmmuiy eceari ly he

ar he idividual ivei-gar abu he reerred rea-me, accrdig a aer byBejami Freedma ublihed ihe new Eglad Jural Medi-cie i 1987. Wha hi mea i ha a

ha i i ime, he cieiic wrldde have ay deiie daa ha aye w r mre ible reame

i available i he m eicaciu

r he aie. A idividual dcr, he

CliniCal trials are

governed by striCt

nClusion and

exClusion Criteria and

only a very speCifiC

group of patients is

eligible for any given

CliniCal trial.

By Professor Pierce chow