A study published in Cancer indicated that in a single institution experience, there was no significant difference observed in the 5-year overall survival or the occurrence of late effects among pediatric, adolescent, and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer who were enrolled in a clinical trial compared with those who were treated off trial.
However, researchers did observe trends in favor of better clinical outcomes for those on-trial, compared with patients treated off trial.
“Studies of the trial effect, including the current study, combine outcomes across many trials, and therefore do not make a statement regarding the benefit of any specific trial,” the authors wrote. “Nevertheless, these findings can help patients and their families to weigh the risks and benefits in clinical trial decision making.”
In the retrospective matched cohort study, researchers…