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Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are research studies that involve people. They answer questions of how a new medicine or treatment works in humans, and are the final step in a long process that often begins with laboratory research. Through clinical studies, doctors find new and better ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, control, and treat diseases such as cancer.

Clinical research is a key component of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC). We offer more clinical trials than any other medical program in New England. Currently, more than 300 different trials are underway, addressing each of the different kinds of cancer. We see approximately 15,000 new cancer cases in our member institutions each year, with more than 2,500 patients enrolled in cancer center trials.

If you are considering participating in a clinical study, click here to view an award-winning video titled “Entering a Clinical Trial: Is It Right for You?” Or request a copy of the accompanying booklet or video (DVD or VHS).

We understand that your health is a very personal matter. To help you feel comfortable about any information you provide in visiting our website, we have set forth a privacy policy that can be viewed by clicking here: Clinical Trials Privacy Policy.

Adult Clinical Trials

Approximately 250 clinical trials for adults with cancer are currently underway at these DF/HCC hospitals: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Individual trials may be open at all DF/HCC sites, but sometimes they are available at only a specific institution.

For information about our clinical trials for adult patients, click here for DF/HCC Adult Clinical Trials or call the DF/HCC Clinical Trial Call Center at 1-866-790-4500.

Pediatric Clinical Trials

Clinical trials for children with cancer are conducted at two sites: Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Care and at MassGeneral Hospital for Children/Hematology and Oncology Center. For more information, please contact the appropriate treatment program at each site via the links in this paragraph.