Randomised comparative studies in the treatment of cancer in the United Kingdom: room for improvement?

Abstract

The basic details of randomised clinical studies in cancer treatment under way in the United Kingdom were ascertained in a postal survey. The cancers of major interest were those of lung, breast, colon and rectum, and lymphomas and leukaemias. In general, only a small proportion of cancer patients are entered into clinical studies; and most of the individual studies aim for a small number of patients, with patient entry over a long period.