Over the past ten years, the Toledo Community Oncology Program (TCOP) provided me gold standard of cancer care clinical trials, close to home, so I could continue working and remain with family and friends. The medical care I got was the best “standard of care” treatment found at major cancer clinics across the country — Mayo, MD Anderson, Dana-Farber — and I didn't have to travel to larger cancer centers, like the Cleveland Clinic.
After my initial treatment trials, I became a member of TCOP's Institutional Review Board. This group of medical and radiation oncologists, nurses, pharmacists, healthcare staff, clergy and community members, like myself, carefully review study protocols and patient consent forms to ensure clinical trial participants are fully informed and protected from unnecessary harm or risks. I volunteered my time with TCOP in other ways as well, over the years.
I'm now participating in my fifth cancer clinical trial through the Toledo Community Oncology Program.
You can read more about my experiences on TCOP's blog found at www.tcop.info or this url http://www.tcop.info/blog/bid/381298/Cancer-Clinical-Trials-A-Participant-s-Perspective
Review from Guidestar