Are there any clinical trials or studies showing the effectiveness of chemo?

Question

Or does anyone know if there are any trials/studies showing the effectiveness of radiation? Or what about surgery in treating cancer? I have heard there are none, but wanted to ask the "experts" here first.

Please provide links or resources pertaining to the question, not just assumptions.

My research indicates that chemo is given with "The Rule of Probable Cause" meaning that experimental drugs may be used if the side effect of the drug is no worse than the end effect of the disease. In fact, every chemotherapy bottle is stamped "For Experimental Use Only" and the patient must sign a release before the doctor will prescribe or administer it." I haven't seen any evidence to suggest otherwise.

II'm looking for results of the trial as well. It seems to be a problem that 1.3 million are diagnosed with cancer every year but 570,000 die from cancer. It almost seems like it's a medical crap shoot whether anyone ever gets well when it comes to cancer.

If there weren't 570,000 people dying every year, inverted, I wouldn't bother asking. But the reality is, there are more than half a million people dying every single year and the numbers are going up! If the medical community weren't making a mess of disease, I wouldn't need to post anything. But that's not the case. Is it?

I had to find whether poisons were approved myself. See this link from the FDA - http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/onctools/druglist.cfm .

. There are many people that have lived with alternative treatments. There are two from my local church congregation. It's ridiculous to suggest that you can't get well using alternatives. I know that ALL, yes, 100% from church that went the medical route are now dead. It would also be better if you didn't bring up Steve McQueen again. It makes you sound like you don't have any idea what you are talking about. Steve McQueen had cancer so advanced nothing could save him short of a direct miracle from God. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_mcqueen says that he used "unconventional treatment after his doctors advised him that they could do nothing more to prolong his life."

Coretta Scott King is much the same type of situation. She was already diagnosed with terminal, advanced cancer BEFORE she started alternative treatments. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coretta_Scott_King

Good grief. Please research before you post!

Answer 1

Not sure why you are not aware that there are literally thousands of clinical research trials taking place in major cancer centers across the US and world. Most are done through univeristies or research organizations. Almost all clinical study results can be located at the National Library of Medicine or the more current clinical trial results can be found in medical journals. Every year in the US the American Society of Clinical Oncology meet and share the most current information available. However most of the studies and research information is published on a monthly basis:

ASCO
http://www.asco.org/

2007 ASCO Abstracts of Clinical Trial reports for all cancers during the year.
http://www.asco.org/portal/site/ASCO/menuitem.34d60f5624ba07fd506fe310ee37a01d/?vgnextoid=76f8201eb61a7010VgnVCM100000ed730ad1RCRD&vmview=abst_meeting_categories_view&confID=47

2007 Soft Tissue Sarcoma Clinicl Trials and results
http://www.asco.org/portal/site/ASCO/menuitem.34d60f5624ba07fd506fe310ee37a01d/?vgnextoid=76f8201eb61a7010VgnVCM100000ed730ad1RCRD&vmview=abst_category_abstracts_view&index=y&confID=47&subCatID=78

Clinical results of a phase II study of sorafenib in patients (pts) with non-GIST sarcomas (CTEP study #7060).
http://www.asco.org/portal/site/ASCO/menuitem.34d60f5624ba07fd506fe310ee37a01d/?vgnextoid=76f8201eb61a7010VgnVCM100000ed730ad1RCRD&vmview=abst_detail_view&confID=47&index=y&abstractID=35269

Every single chemotherapy drug is tested for clinical effectiveness for each type of cancer.

Every radiation treatment or surgical procedure done is also clinical tested or approved for each treatment.

For all cancer patients most cancer treatments are determined by a clinical protocol established by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

NCCN
http://www.nccn.org/

Clincial Practice Guidelines in Oncology
http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/f_guidelines.asp?button=I+Agree#site

Each hospital usually has a tumor board that will discuss each individual case to determine if surgery or radiation is recommended and/or suitable for a patient.

National Cancer Institute - Clinical Trials
http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials

NCI: Clinical Trial Results
http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/ct-types-list

NCI Clinical Trial Results: Radiotherapy Can Prevent Spread of Small-Cell Lung Cancer to the Brain
http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/SCLC-brain-mets0607

The above is only for the US as there are other studies taking place in Europe and other countries as well.

European Organization and Research for the Treatment of Cancer
http://www.eortc.be/

Answer 2

Go to PubMed at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed

and type in whatever type cancer you want to learn about

for example - lung cancer

and then add : radiation or surgery or chemotherapy

or any of a host of other related words and then you can read abstracts of all the related full length published peer reviewed studies.

Have you asked Lance Armstrong how chemo and surgery worked out for him?

Answer 3

This is the same bs you post every week.

Every drug that virtually every oncologist is prescribing for almost every cancer patient had to go through at least 4 stages of clinical trials. Each stage has to pass successfully. Finally, the FDA has to approve the drug for human use.

You're so fond of citations, cite your sources for your silly claims.

Answer 4

every single treatment used on people has to go thru massive amounts of clinical trials and studies before they can be released for use. This is true for cancer treatment as well as any other treatment.