Clinical Research Throughout New Mexico

Presbyterian is a member of the New Mexico Cancer Care Alliance, a group of over 70 Cancer Treatment providers from around New Mexico. The Alliance was formed to facilitate physicians all over the state gaining access to cutting-edge clinical trials for patients with cancer. The goal of the Alliance is to ensure that the best cancer therapies offered through research studies are available for all New Mexicans.

Your doctor may offer you participation in a clinical trial as one of your options of treatment. Cancer research trials test new drugs, combinations of drugs, approaches to surgery, radiation or other methods for treating cancer. Participating in clinical trials permits access to promising therapies that are not available otherwise, increases the number of your treatment options, and may provide more careful monitoring of your condition and the possible side effects.

• Phase I Trials are designed to take a treatment that has shown promise in laboratory testing and establish the safety profile of the treatment in people.
• Phase II Trials use new treatments in specific cancer types. The study looks for evidence that the treatment is working and monitors closely for any side effects.
• Phase III Trials are for treatments that have shown promise in Phase II trials. They compare the new treatment to the standard treatment to see if it is more or less effective. Doctors also monitor patients carefully for side effects to see if there are more or less side effects than on the standard treatment.

Presbyterian participates in Phase II and Phase III trials. These studies usually look at the study drug in combination with the standard treatment versus the standard treatment alone, or a new combination or schedule for using drugs that are already used for treating cancer. In cancer treatment studies, a placebo (sugar pill) alone is not used. Participants are given standard therapy at a minimum.

Although clinical trials are not right for everybody, and some patients may not meet the guidelines to be on a study, Presbyterian is pleased to be able to offer clinical trial participation as an option for our patients.

If you would like more information on the clinical trials we have available, or to find out if you would be a candidate for a clinical trial, please contact Wendy Burman at (505) 559-6113.