The many Web sites maintained by NCI-designated Cancer Centers are excellent supplementary resources for locating clinical trials, for two primary reasons:

• No single resource, including NCI's PDQ, lists every cancer clinical trial. Although PDQ is the most comprehensive resource for cancer clinical trials, some trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies or other funding organizations are not listed in the database. Many Cancer Center Web sites provide information about these trials ongoing at their facilities. In addition, a Cancer Center may begin participating in an NCI-sponsored trial before the Center's information is listed with that trial in the NCI database.
  
  
• You may wish to stay close to home while participating in a clinical trial. Even though you may be medically eligible for trials in several parts of the country, you may prefer participating in a trial near your home, where you can maintain your usual routine and draw on the support of family and friends. To avoid travel and lodging costs, you might consider trials within driving distance of your home, or focus your search on areas of the country where you can stay with relatives or friends.

The following links will help you get started with your search.

Background: What are NCI-Designated Cancer Centers?

Checklist: What you need to know before searching for clinical trials.

Map: Search Cancer Centers by geographic region