The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Center of Excellence for Breast Cancer Care has launched BreastCancerTrials.org, a free, nonprofit, clinical trial matching service that provides nationwide information for individuals diagnosed with or at risk for breast cancer.
BreastCancerTrials.org is the only clinical trial matching service dedicated exclusively to breast cancer, with an online database that includes information about clinical trials taking place at more than 1,100 medical facilities across the country. The site is an outgrowth of a successful regional pilot initiated by the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and patient advocates. The nationwide launch of BreastCancerTrials.org is made possible by a grant from The Safeway Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Safeway, Inc.
“BreastCancerTrials.org is an exciting, win-win development for the breast cancer community,” said Laura Esserman, md, director of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Breast Cancer Care and the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center. “Every advance in our understanding and treatment of breast cancer has come from clinical trial results. The more we can empower our patients to find out about and participate in trials, the faster we will be able to complete trials, and the sooner this new knowledge will translate into better care and outcomes for all patients.”
By making information about trials easy to find, BreastCancerTrials.org hopes to make consideration of clinical trial participation the norm rather than the exception. BreastCancerTrials.org users enter a detailed health history, which matches them to trials that are specific to their personal health situation. Information on whom to contact for further discussion about a trial and additional criteria for enrollment are also provided. Individuals can use BreastCancerTrials.org on a one-time basis or store their health history on secure servers for continual matching to newly listed trials.
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