But parents should understand that their child's physician would not participate in the program unless he or she was comfortable that all the various treatment choices are reasonable, appropriate and offer the child an excellent chance of attaining a response and have had preliminary testing that showed good effect.
The initial treatment programs designed to answer which treatment program is best are often known as Phase III studies. Sometimes a research protocol is not available, and then the physician chooses the best-known effective treatment available for the disease and presents it as the proposed treatment plan.
Most children respond very well to the initial treatment of their cancer. The opportunity to cure a child with cancer may be as high as 80 to 90 percent for some children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Wilms' tumor, but unfortunately less in most other tumors. The patient's physician will be able to describe in detail the treatment being proposed and the chances of the child being cured.
Phase II Trials Unfortunately, not all children respond to therapy. Even those who do may relapse. These children may still have their disease controlled and cured.
Children with recurrent disease are often asked to participate in Phase II protocols, treatment programs in which the dose and many of the side effects of a particular drug or treatment are known. The goal of treatment is to determine how effective the treatment is for certain kinds of childhood cancer.
If this kind of study is available and the child and parents are asked to participate, the physician will describe in detail the proposed treatment, the risks involved and the possible advantages of the child working with the physician in this research approach.
