Clinical Trials at Markey
Transforming cancer treatment today
We’re changing the future of cancer treatment right now at the UK Markey Cancer Center — for our patients and people around the globe. As Kentucky’s National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, we’re leading the way to more cancer-free tomorrows everywhere.
Clinical trials at Markey offer you a unique opportunity to benefit from the latest cancer treatment advances while contributing to our groundbreaking discoveries. Markey is dedicated to creating the innovative cancer treatments of tomorrow and to better understand how cancer develops.
Unlocking
Tomorrow’s
TREATMENTS
Watch to learn why clinical trials and research studies matter to you.
FIND A CANCER
Clinical TRIAL
Review the clinical trials and research studies available at the Markey Cancer Center.
Why are clinical trials important?
Every cancer treatment starts as a clinical trial. Trials are how researchers safely and accurately test if a treatment works and how it works. The trials we conduct today at Markey Cancer Center set the standards for tomorrow.
When more people participate in cancer clinical trials, we all benefit from the scientific advances. By joining a trial, you’re not only helping yourself. You’re helping countless others to come, in Kentucky and across the world.
Why Markey?
UK Markey Cancer Center is the leading destination for world-class cancer treatment in Kentucky. We care for the people of Kentucky, but we’re also a nationally recognized institution searching for ways to improve lives and cure cancer. As Kentucky’sNCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, we are dedicated to creating innovative cancer treatments and to better understanding how cancer works.
At Markey Cancer Center you get:
- Exceptional care from one of only 57 NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation.
- An innovative academic medical center with a wide range of clinical trials only available at the nation’s elite hospitals.
- Physicians and researchers who specialize in your type of cancer and create their own trials searching for new treatments.
- A hospital ranked as one of the top 50 cancer centers by U.S. News & World Report.
Types of cancer clinical trials
Cancer clinical trials test new treatments, compare existing treatments and explore prevention strategies.
- Treatment: Test the safety and effectiveness of new treatments as well as new uses for existing treatments.
- Prevention: Look at ways to prevent cancer or reduce cancer risk.
- Cancer control: Test strategies to find and diagnose cancer early.
- Palliative care: Look at ways to reduce side effects and improve quality of life.
- Post-treatment/survivorship: Focus on the long-term health and well-being of cancer survivors.
Clinical trials phases
Clinical trials are grouped by phases. Each clinical trial phase has a different purpose.
Phase 0 trials are the earliest stage of drug development and involve a very small number of people getting very low doses of a drug. Phase 0 trials help us learn more for later trials.
Participant level: very limited
Phase I clinical trials test the safety of a new treatment. These trials determine the highest dose people can handle and help us identify side effects. We also make sure the cancer responds to the treatment.
Participant level: 15 to 50
In Phase II clinical trials, we see how effective a new treatment is against cancer. With a larger group of participants, we can determine the treatment's ability to shrink tumors or slow cancer growth.
Participant level: Less than 100
We use Phase III clinical trials to compare a new treatment to the standard therapy. Comparing lets us see which treatment works better. We also look at side effects.
These trials are large so we can gather a lot of information. Patients get randomly assigned to either the new treatment, the old one or a placebo (an inactive drug). Phase III trials help us make sure we have a good picture of how well a potential new treatment works.
The FDA uses Phase III trials to decide whether to approve treatments for wide use.
Participant level: Hundreds
We conduct Phase IV clinical trials after a new treatment is approved and available to everyone. These trials help us keep looking at how well a treatment works and watch for any problems we didn’t see in earlier trials. We follow a lot of patients over a longer time during Phase IV trials.
Participant level: Thousands
When you choose to join a trial at UK Markey Cancer Center, you get more than a treatment team. You have a whole clinical and research team caring for you at every step. You’ll get the highest quality care while also helping advance medical science and improve cancer care.
As a nationally recognized NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, we offer treatments only available at a select few top hospitals in the U.S. Our Markey Cancer Center Research Network may also give you access to Markey trials throughout Kentucky.
