You could make the case that every issue of Cancer Health champions clinical trials. After all, trials lead to the prevention interventions, screenings, treatments and care we rely on and write about. But our summer 2024 issue puts clinical trials front and center.

 

Our fifth annual Cancer Health 25 feature highlights people who power clinical trials. Go here to meet an astounding array of scientists, academics, advocates, doctors, oncology nurses, patient navigators and, of course, people with cancer. The breadth of talent and the time devoted to clinical trials is truly awesome.

 

Our Care & Treatment section explores novel immunotherapies and findings on vaccines for hard-to-treat cancers—advances that would not be possible without clinical trials.

 

In the Can Heal column, Bishop Stacey S. Latimer shares his experiences as a current participant in a trial to treat his metastatic prostate cancer. As a gay Black man who has lived with HIV since the 1980s, he offers unique insights on survivorship.

 

In a happy coincidence—summer marks LGBTQ Pride season!—we also profile another inspiring gay man, Paul Edmonds. He received a special type of stem cell transplant that cured both his HIV and leukemia. Turn to our Diary to learn more.

 

Clinical trials provide data needed for treatments to receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Many people with cancer develop resistance or experience side effects from their meds, so they rely on a robust pipeline of new options. In our cover profile, Jim Plotkin, a golfer living with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, illustrates how switching to a new therapy can better your life—­and even boost your game.

 

Of course, Francis Collins, MD, PhD, a former director of the National Institutes of Health, supports clinical trials. But after his own cancer diagnosis, Collins joined a clinical trial himself. Now that’s an endorsement!

 

Have you participated in a clinical trial? If so, share your experiences in our Survey.