Type of Cancer
Stage/Subtype of Cancer
Type of Trial
Status of Trial
Protocol ID
Location of Trial
Hospital/Institution
New Trials
Type of Treatment/Intervention
Drug
Phase of Trial
Sponsor of Trial
Trial Investigators
Lead Organization or Cooperative Group

The advanced search form allows you to choose from a variety of criteria to develop your search strategy. The following fields on the advanced search form indicate the different criteria you can use to narrow your search:

Type of Cancer

Use this list to choose the type of cancer being studied in a clinical trial(s). You may choose a type of cancer or you have the option to select "All."

• If you want trials for any type of solid tumor, select "Solid tumor, unspecified."
• For trials that treat metastatic cancer, select "Metastatic cancer."

Stage/Subtype of Cancer

After you select a type of cancer, this list will show you the stages/subtypes for the selected cancer. The stage of cancer is the extent of cancer within the body, including whether it has spread. You may select one or more stages/subtypes or "All."

Type of Trial

Use this list to choose the type of trial. Some trials fall into more than one category. You may check more than one box or select "All." The following trial types are available:

• Treatment - trials that study potential anticancer treatments, their safety, and their effectiveness.
• Screening - trials that check for disease when there are no symptoms.
• Genetics - trials that study the genetic factors that may influence the development of cancer or the response to cancer treatment.
• Supportive care - trials that study treatments to prevent, control, or relieve complications and side effects and to improve patients' comfort and quality of life.
• Prevention - trials that study ways to prevent disease.
• Diagnostic - trials that evaluate methods of detecting disease.

Status of Trial

Use this box to choose whether to search for active trials - those accepting new patients - or closed trials, those no longer accepting new patients.

• The default is for active trials.
• Closed trials might have published information describing what researchers have already studied and learned.
• Closed trials are not searchable by geographic area.

Protocol ID

An identification (ID) number that makes it easy to find a specific trial (similar to a book's call number in a library). Use this field only if you know the ID number or partial ID for a specific trial.

• Enter one or more protocol IDs, separating them with commas.
• The search results will list trials that include any of the IDs you entered.

Location of Trial

Use this field to search by ZIP Code or by city, state, and country. Enter either your ZIP Code to search for trials in your area or the ZIP Code of another area of interest. By default, searches are limited to within 20 miles of the ZIP Code that you enter. Use the drop down list to change this to choices between 0 and 500 miles.

• The link to "ZIP Code Lookup" pops up a page from the U.S. Postal Service Web site. Find the ZIP Code by entering the address and copy it from the pop up window into the form.
• You can enter a combination of city, state, and country. (States are unavailable for selection if you choose any country other than "All" or "U.S.A.")
• You can select multiple states using the drop down list.

Hospital/Institution

Use this field only if you are looking for trials conducted at a specific hospital or institution.

• Use the "browse list" link to look up a name or enter the name of the hospital or institution.
• When you click on "browse list," a new window will pop up. You can search for a particular name or look through the list alphabetically. Check the box next to the hospital(s) or institution(s) you want and click the "Select Checked" button at the bottom left. The name(s) will be entered automatically into the form.
• When you type in the names of two or more institutions, separate them with semicolons.
• The search results will list trials that include any of the names you enter.
• Use this field to find trials taking place at military or VA hospitals. To find VA facilities, use the browse list and select the letter "V". This will display the VA facilities in the database. You can also enter "VA" in the search box on the browse list to get a list of VA facilities.
• Select the "NIH Clinical Center (Bethesda, MD)" option to see only the trials located at NIH.

New Trials

Checking this box limits search results to only those trials added for the current month's update.

• New trials are posted to the Web site around the first of every month.
• For example, if the update occurs on June 3, and you select this option any day after that in June, your results will show the trials added on June 3.

Type of Treatment /Intervention

Use this list to select one or more types of treatment or interventions used in trials. A list of treatments such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, biological therapy, bone marrow transplantation and many more are available for selection. You may select one or more treatments or interventions, or choose "All."

Drug

Use the "browse list" link to look up a drug name, or you may enter the name of a drug.

• When you click on "browse list," a new window will pop up. You can search for a particular drug or look through the list alphabetically. Check the box next to the drug(s) you want and click the "Select Checked" button at the bottom left. The name(s) will be entered automatically into the form.
• When you type in more than one drug, separate them with semicolons.
• The search results will list trials that include any of the drug names you enter.
• When you check the small box labeled, "Find trials that include all drugs shown," the search results will list trials that include all of the drug names you enter.
• Different drug names - generic, brand/trade, and short names - are equally recognized.

Phase of Trial

Use this field to select the phase of trial. Most clinical trials are designated as phase I, II, III, or IV, based on the type of questions the trial is trying to answer. You may select one or more trial phases, or choose "All."

• Phase I - trials that test the best way to give a new treatment (for example, by mouth, intravenous infusion, or injection) and the best dose.
• Phase II - trials that test whether a new treatment has an anticancer effect (for example, whether it shrinks a tumor or improves blood test results) and whether it works against certain types of cancer.
• Phase III - trials that compare the results of people taking a new treatment with the results of people taking the standard treatment (for example, which groups have better survival rates or fewer side effects).
• Phase IV - trials that evaluate side effects that were not apparent in the phase III trial.

Sponsor of Trial

Use this field if you wish to select a sponsor category. For NCI trials, sponsorship is assigned based on how the trial is reviewed. For all others, assignment is based on who is coordinating or funding the trial. You may select one or more sponsors, or choose "All."

• You can limit your results to trials sponsored by 1) one of the institutes or centers at the National Institute's of Health (NIH) listed on the drop down list, 2) pharmaceutical companies, or 3) other medical/research institutions.
• Trials sponsored by one of the institutes or centers can be located anywhere (not just the NIH campus).
• Some insurance companies may have restrictions on the trials they will cover. For example, they may cover costs for trials sponsored by some organizations but not others.

Trial Investigators

Use this field to select medical professionals and researchers who are conducting the trial. Use the "browse list" link to look up a name, or you may enter the name of the investigator.

• If you click on "browse list," a new window will pop up. You can search for a particular name or look through the list alphabetically. Check the box next to the investigator(s) you want and click the "Select Checked" button at the bottom left. The name(s) will be entered automatically into the form.
• If you type in more than one name, separate them with semicolons. You must enter the name in this order, --- first, middle, and last.
• The search results will list trials that include any of the names you enter.

Lead Organization or Cooperative Group

Use this field if you wish to select an academic hospital, research institute, pharmaceutical company, cancer center, or cooperative group responsible for coordinating the trial. You may enter the name of the organization or group, or use the "browse list" link to look up the name. This field may not be applicable for most users.

• Cooperative groups are NCI-funded groups of institutions, researchers, and community physicians. More information is available in NCI's Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program.
• If you click on "browse list," a new window will pop up. You can search for a particular name or acronym or look through the list alphabetically. Check the box next to the organization(s) or group(s) you want and click the "Select Checked" button at the bottom left. The name(s) will be entered automatically into the form.
• If you type in the names of two or more institutions, separate them with semicolons.
• The search results will list trials that include any of the names you enter.

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