White Plains, NY and Philadelphia, PA – August 7, 2008 - The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative
Groups (Coalition) today announced the launch of TrialCheck® as the exclusive
search tool to assist patients and their caregivers in locating cancer clinical
trials. The collaboration gives patients and caregivers who visit the LLS web
site (www.lls.org/clinicaltrials),
immediate access to the most current list of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and
related blood cancer clinical trials currently underway. The service gives
patients and caregivers greater ability to explore cancer clinical trials as a
potential treatment option at time of diagnosis and throughout the treatment
process.
An Internet-based cancer clinical trial navigation and matching
system, TrialCheck® has been customized to provide patients with a list of
potentially appropriate clinical trials for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma,
myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloproliferative disorders. When combined,
these cancers affect more than 823,000 persons in the U.S. and are diagnosed in
more than 138,000 Americans each year.
There has been great progress in treatment, but for most blood
cancers there is no cure and better therapies are needed. Clinical trials are
research studies to test new therapies or combinations of therapies to improve
patient outcomes and quality of life. A recent search showed 677 clinical
trials open and enrolling patients in the U.S. for leukemia, 243 for multiple
myeloma, and 692 for lymphoma.* Currently, more than 250 new drugs are being
tested in clinical trials to treat blood cancers.**
"As a non-profit committed to increasing participation of
patients in blood cancer trials, we want to give patients greater access to the
newest treatments," said Hildy Dillon, LLS senior vice president of patient
services. "TrialCheck puts cancer clinical trial information directly into the
hands of blood cancer patients, helping to ensure that they have information
about all of their treatment options. Many patients have the impression that
clinical trials are a last resort, but trials may provide an opportunity for
newly diagnosed patients as well as previously treated patients, to have access
to new therapy options and be closely monitored to measure response and manage
side effects."
To use the TrialCheck service, patients answer a short list of
questions before receiving a list of clinical trials targeted to the patient’s
diagnosis, disease type and stage and zip code preference. Patients can also
receive telephone support from the LLS Information Resource Center by calling
1-800-955-4572, where trained specialists also use TrialCheck.
Considered one of the most reliable cancer clinical trial
services in the country, TrialCheck gathers information from the National
Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Physician Data Query (PDQ), the National Institutes of
Health’s www.clinicaltrials.gov, the NCI-sponsored cooperative groups, and the
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Daily quality control processes
ensure that the information is accurate. A non-profit service, TrialCheck
information is unbiased and noncommercial.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®,
headquartered in White Plains, NY, with 68 chapters in the United States and
Canada, is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to
funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The
LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and
improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding
in 1949, LLS has invested more than $600 million in research specifically
targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, LLS made 5.1 million
contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.
For more information about blood cancer, visit www.LLS.org or
call the LLS Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by
master's level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide
information, support and resources to patients and their families and
caregivers. IRC information specialists are available at (800) 955-4572, Monday
through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
About the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups
The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups,
headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, is a non-profit service organization working
to improve physician and patient access to cancer clinical trials through
education, outreach, advocacy and research. Established in 1997, the
organization addresses the unmet needs of the clinical research community to
increase patient participation and public awareness of cancer clinical trials.
The Coalition is comprised of members from the 10 National Cancer
Institute-sponsored Cooperative Groups, the country’s leading patient advocacy
organizations, and thousands of oncology and cancer research specialists. The
Coalition also partners with healthcare organizations in both the public and
private sectors. For more information, go to
www.CancerTrialsHelp.org.
* TrialCheck®
** Medicines in
Development for Cancer 2008; Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers
Association.