Bladder Cancer Clinical Trials
Clinical trials offer bladder cancer patients the opportunity to be among the first to benefit from breakthrough treatment options, before they become widely available. Sometimes, it is mistakenly believed that participating in a clinical trial means that the patient will become a "guinea pig," either testing a drug or procedure that has never before been used or unknowingly receiving a placebo, but this could not be further from the truth. In reality, cancer treatments that are in the clinical trial phase have already undergone extensive testing for safety, and in the rare instances that placebos are used in clinical trials, participants are made fully aware of this possibility and are never denied access to other treatments they may need. Furthermore, clinical trial participants can choose to withdraw from the program at any time.
Are You a Candidate for a Bladder Cancer Clinical Trial?
The purpose of clinical trials, for bladder cancer or any other type of cancer, is to compare innovative new therapies with standard treatments (standard treatments that are considered the most advanced options currently available). Any patient can be considered for participation in a clinical trial, but they must meet the inclusion criteria for the particular study. These criteria may include factors such as:
- The type of cancer
- The patient’s gender
- The patient’s age
- Past treatments
- The staging, or extent, of the cancer
For the most groundbreaking treatments and clinical trials, bladder cancer patients should look to high-volume cancer facilities, like Moffitt Cancer Center, that have a specialty program concentrated on urologic cancers. Moffitt boasts a robust clinical trials program and is home to a vast research team that’s comprised of a wide range of professionals, including physician-scientists, research data specialists and oncologists who specialize solely in the treatment of bladder cancer. For our extensive research efforts, Moffitt has been designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Care Center – the only one based in Florida.
Moffitt’s Groundbreaking Work in TIL Therapy
The National Cancer Institute began studying tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy in the 1980s. As a cutting-edge cancer research institute, Moffitt aspired to be at the forefront of this potentially groundbreaking immunotherapy. In 2009, Moffitt researchers visited the NCI to learn the protocol for creating TIL therapy, and Moffitt became the first cancer center outside of the NCI to offer TIL to melanoma patients. Since then, Moffitt’s experts have remained on the cutting edge, exploring a variety of ways this innovative cell therapy could be used to save more lives.
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TIL trials have been opened at Moffitt since researchers learned the protocol in 2009
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Patients have been accrued to Moffitt’s TIL trials, contributing to the advancement of the therapy
Moffitt Cancer Center is conducting a clinical trial focused on using Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) to treat advanced bladder cancer. This innovative approach involves harvesting immune cells from a patient’s tumor, multiplying them in the lab, and reinfusing them into the patient to help the body fight the cancer more effectively.
If you’d like to learn about specific bladder cancer clinical trials available at Moffitt, call 1-813-745-6100 or 1-800-679-0775 (toll-free) or submit a clinical trials inquiry form.