Breast Cancer Prevention

A clinical trial is an organized research study designed to investigate new methods of preventing, detecting, diagnosing, or treating an illness or disease, such as cancer. In some instances, clinical trials attempt to improve a patient’s quality of life. When studying cancer treatment, researchers generally attempt to determine whether a new method of treatment is superior to the standard (currently approved) treatment of the ailment.

Clinical trials are extremely important in discovering new techniques to fight disease. For example, many of the advances in breast cancer detection and treatment resulted from clinical trials. These advances include:

• screening mammography
• the use of chemotherapy before or after breast surgery
• the use of radiation after lumpectomy
• most all cancer treatment drugs (tamoxifen, Herceptin, etc.)