| Oncology is a field of medicine dedicated to the | | | | treatment for free as a compensation for their |
| study of cancer treatment. One of it's primary | | | | being used as test subjects. |
| research methods involves the use of clinical trials, | | | | For another thing, a lot of cancer patients feel |
| which is essentially conducting research for | | | | that the currently used treatment methods are |
| various new methods of cancer treatment on | | | | insufficient, and thus they choose to risk |
| volunteers. | | | | themselves as test subjects in the hope that the |
| While there are hundreds of oncology research | | | | clinic will be able to find a breakthrough cure that |
| clinics in the United States alone, all of these clinics | | | | will be superior to that used by regular medical |
| are registered and monitored by the US | | | | institutions. |
| government so volunteer patients are legally | | | | There is also the altruistic feeling of cancer |
| covered against malpractice and abuse. While | | | | patients, who often feel that once they develop |
| patients DO sign waivers against some ill results | | | | cancer they're living on borrowed time. Hence, |
| that may arise from the testing, the legal | | | | they decide to use what time they have left to |
| protection they get is still ample protection against | | | | contribute positively to society in the hopes that |
| directly harmful effects brought about by | | | | their effort will go a long way towards helping |
| malpractice and incompetence. | | | | others who are likewise afflicted. |
| Also, in the case of the more radical alternative | | | | With all these different reasons, the number of |
| cancer treatment methods, normal medical and | | | | cancer patients choosing to undergo oncology |
| life insurance may not be able to cover the | | | | clinical trials as opposed to going to a regular |
| potential problems that could arise as a result of | | | | hospital for chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or |
| the trials. However, the centralized board where | | | | other classic methods is steadily increasing. |
| oncology trial clinics register has safeguards | | | | Oncology clinics themselves are registered |
| against the possibility that insurance may not | | | | centrally with the government, and as such have |
| cover a special occurence. At the very least, they | | | | their own share of legal protections, not the least |
| go over the conditions of the waiver with the | | | | of which is the reserved right to patent any |
| volunteers first and point out any potential | | | | breakthrough procedures they may find. While this |
| discrepancies that may keep them from collecting | | | | patent does not allow for monopolizing the |
| insurance or taking legal action in a worst case | | | | treatment (because medical information is far too |
| scenario. If the patients still feel like taking the risk | | | | valuable for that) it does, at the very least, make |
| afterwards, then that's up to them. | | | | allowances for royalties and due credit. |
| With these safeguards in mind, a lot of cancer | | | | This centralized registration system also keeps |
| patients in the US alone are flocking to oncology | | | | the research up to date, as clinics can and must |
| clinics to volunteer for research. Their reasons are | | | | submit their findings on a regular basis. This allows |
| wide and varied. For one thing, while the clinics | | | | any of the registered clinics to cross reference |
| employ treatment methods that are different | | | | each other's methods and their success rates, |
| from the norm generally used by the medical | | | | which lets them adapt each other's techniques in |
| community, at least the patients in these trials get | | | | the hope of finding an ultimate solution to cancer. |