When considering a clinical trial as a mesothelioma treatment option, it is important to remember that each trial may have different eligibility criteria, and that although a patient may be ineligible for some trials, there may be others in which they may participate. There may also be trials not necessarily specific to mesothelioma in which patients may enroll.
Criteria can range from general characteristics such as age of the patient or type of cancer, to tumor characteristics, results of blood counts, organ function or prior treatment. The phase of the trial may also dictate who is eligible to enroll. In Phase I and II trials, where safety evaluation is a primary objective, criteria will often focus on those who could be potentially harmed because they exhibit inadequate or abnormal organ function. Patients in these categories, therefore, could not be put at risk. Phase III trials often include additional criteria such as stage of the cancer and how many prior treatments a patient has received.
Eligibility criteria for trials specific to mesothelioma are normally more detailed than trials that include patients with many different types of cancer, and researchers often attempt to include several types of cancer in a clinical trial without making the study population too diverse to tell whether the treatment might be as effective in a more narrowly defined population. The most recent trend, particularly in Phase III trials, is that the trial should be as general as possible so as to benefit the largest number of people.
