Find a Clinical Trial

There are a number of different web-based resources where people can search for clinical trials. We are proud to offer the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance Clinical Trials Matching Service in partnership with EmergingMed.

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This one-stop service provides a comprehensive yet simplified system for women to find and link to clinical trial options for ovarian cancer. The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance Clinical Trials Matching Service is available by telephone at (800) 535-1682 or by clicking here.

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EmergingMed operates the nation’s largest cancer clinical trials matching and referral service. More than 60,000 cancer patients have been prescreened and referred to its database of more than 7,000 cancer clinical trials, which also includes all of the trials featured in the National Cancer Institute’s clinical trials database.

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The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance Clinical Trials Matching Service provides information on current clinical trials in the United States and Canada. Women can customize their searches based on a range of criteria that includes the specific ovarian cancer type, stage, treatment history and place where she can enroll. A Clinical Trial Specialist will be assigned to each caller to guide her through her confidential search.

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Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are carefully designed research studies that involve volunteers. Researchers carry out ovarian cancer clinical trials to find ways of improving medical care and treatment for women with this disease.

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Clinical trials study new ways to prevent, diagnose or treat ovarian cancer.

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The more women that participate in clinical trials, the faster we will find early detection tools, better treatment and ultimately a cure. Clinical trials exist for women at every point in their experience with ovarian cancer.  Women can explore clinical trials by visiting https://ocrfa.org/patients/clinical-trials/ online or by calling (800) 535-1682.

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Types of Clinical Trials

A woman is eligible to participate in a clinical trial at any point in her experience with ovarian cancer. Many women think of clinical trials as an option only after other treatments have failed. Clinical trials exist for women in this situation, but many equally important trials are available for women earlier in their fight against ovarian cancer.

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Prevention Trials

Prevention trials test ways to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. They typically enroll healthy women at high risk for developing ovarian cancer or survivors who want to prevent its return or reduce the chance of developing a new type of cancer.

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Screening Trials

Screening trials look for ways to detect ovarian cancer at an early stage in healthy women.

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Diagnostic Trials

Diagnostic trials seek to develop better ways to diagnose and care for women with ovarian cancer. They usually enroll women who have already had ovarian cancer or who have signs and symptoms of it. Many of the current diagnostic trials in ovarian cancer focus on proteomics, which involves evaluating the levels of different proteins in the blood.

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Treatment Trials

Treatment trials determine what new treatments or combinations of existing treatments can help women who have ovarian cancer. They evaluate the effectiveness of new treatments or new ways to use existing treatments. (A “treatment” may be a drug, therapy vaccine, surgery, or any combination of these.) Various treatment trials exist for women with ovarian cancer, most of which explore the effectiveness of different combinations of surgery and drug therapies in fighting ovarian cancer.

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Quality-of-Life/Supportive Care Trials

Quality-of-life/supportive care trials aim to improve the quality of life for ovarian cancer patients, survivors, and their families.  These may include issues like side effects from chemotherapy like neuropathy or nausea, or need for pain medication.

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Genetics Trials

Usually part of another clinical trial, genetic trials attempt to determine how a woman’s genetic makeup can influence the detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of ovarian cancer. (Family-based genetic research studies exist that differ from cancer clinical trials; in these studies, multiple high-risk family members may give blood and tissue and agree to be evaluated on an annual basis.)

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