Before a new treatment can be widely used on patients, it must be proven to be safe and effective. Clinical trials are a means of conducting experiments on humans to yield reliable results. For this reason, they are in the best interests of patients, clinicians, pharmaceutical companies and society as a whole.
Evidence suggests that patients treated in a trial do better than similar patients treated outside a trial, and the government has made clinical trials a priority in cancer care. In the UK in 2000, only 3.5% of cancer patients entered a clinical trial. The National Cancer Research Network, the Wales Cancer Trials Network and the Scottish Cancer Therapy Network aim to achieve a target of 10% accrual over the next few years. Regional clinical research networks are now actively recruiting patients across the UK.