Cancer Clinical Trials

Medical oncologist Peter O'Donnell, MD, meets with a patient

Frequently Asked Questions Search for a Clinical Trial

Participate In a Cancer Clinical Trial

Clinical trials are research studies involving people. Some trials test the safety and effectiveness of new cancer treatments. Others may test new procedures or approaches for cancer screening or prevention. Clinical trials follow very detailed and strict procedures for administering the new treatment or procedure and measuring its effects (both good and bad) on patients, compared to the standard approach. Clinical trials help improve existing treatment options for patients.

All improvements in cancer care were made possible because of clinical trials.

Find a Cancer Clinical Trial

Clinical trials are an important step in making advances in cancer treatment. Our dedicated researchers and clinicians conduct hundreds of clinical trials in phases I, II, III and IV each year, leading to the development of new and better treatments. If you are a patient or a caregiver and would like to learn more about cancer clinical trials at the University of Chicago Medicine, call 1-855-702-8222 (adult trials) or 1-773-702-2927 (pediatric trials).

Cancer Clinical Trials at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial

UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, Ill. is conducting clinical trials of new treatments for a wide variety of cancers, from breast cancer and lung cancer, to multiple myeloma and pancreatic cancer.

Find a cancer clinical trial underway at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital

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Convenient Locations for Cancer Care

What Does It Mean to Be an NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center?

An official comprehensive cancer center designation by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the highest federal rating a cancer center can achieve. Learn what's required to earn this designation and how the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center is shaping cancer care and research today and beyond.

Video Transcript

Comprehensive is in our name. But what does that mean? Comprehensive is the highest federal rating a cancer center can achieve from the National Cancer Institute, the federal agency overseeing the national cancer research effort.

It is a gold standard of excellence, awarded only to cancer centers with the deepest and broadest knowledge of cancer. These places have strengths in all the areas of cancer research, including prevention, early detection, treatment, and survivorship.

Out of the hundreds of thousands of facilities that specialize in cancer, only 70 are officially NCI designated. And of those, only 49 hold the special comprehensive status. This designation places us among the top tier of cancer centers in the country, and one of two in Illinois.

Comprehensive cancer centers serve as a model for moving new discoveries from the laboratory setting to reach patients and the greater community. In order to keep this designation and funding, every NCI designated cancer center must undergo an intense review process every five years to demonstrate that it has a critical mass of high quality, collaborative research that leads to big shifts in cancer care-- strong institutional support, a highly qualified director, state-of-the-art facilities, and the ability to bring physicians and scientists from multiple disciplines together.

For meeting all of these standards, we have earned the distinction as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our most recent review in 2017 earned our center an outstanding rating. This means that our patients benefit from being treated at a world-class research facility, with leading physicians and scientists who are dedicated to improving the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer in Chicago and beyond.