Cancer Trials Ireland recently hosted a public talk in the Mansion House on the subject of participants of clinical trials. The Irish Cancer Society were in attendance along with the Greystones Cancer Society. Ahead of the event Head of Research at the Irish Cancer Society, Dr. Robert O’Connor had said, ‘“Over the past 10 years the number of patients participating in cancer trials in Ireland has doubled and the number of trials opened has tripled. But many have fears about being involved in research themselves and to many cancer patients clinical trials are not seen as an option that is open to them, even though their circumstances may make them a suitable candidate to be involved.”
Along with experts in the field, two members of the public spoke at the event, the father of a young girl who enrolled in trials for childhood cancer and an adult participant in clinical trials. In the medical field, Dr Jennifer Westrup, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Section Chief of Oncology at the Beacon Hospital, Dr Catherine M. Kelly, Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and Mater Private Hospital in Dublin gave greater insight into the topic while the event Moderator was Claire O’Connell, Freelance journalist and contributor to The Irish Times and Silicon Republic. For anyone with questions about clinical trials, Greystones Cancer Support can be contacted. Alternatively log on to www.cancertrials.ie.
