about us video series our stars funding resources news order         faq's what is a clinical trial?   FAQ's   Am I going to survive this illness? Is breast cancer an automatic death sentence?   How did I get breast cancer?   What can I do to prevent recurrence of breast cancer?   Will I lose my hair from whatever treatment my doctors recommend?   Will people treat me differently because I have breast cancer?   What is a second opinion and should I get one?   Does a lumpectomy cure breast cancer as effectively as a mastectomy?   How quickly must I make decisions regarding treatment?   How can I tell if a lump in my breast is cancer or not?   Can I become pregnant if I have had breast cancer?   What is a clinical trial?   Should I participate in a clinical trial? What is a clinical trial? Clinical trials, also called cancer treatment or research studies, test new treatments in people with cancer. The goal of this research is to find better ways to treat cancer and help cancer patients. Clinical trials test many types of treatment such as new drugs, new approaches to surgery or radiation therapy, or new combinations of treatments. For further information about clinical trials visit the National Cancer Institute's CancerTrials or call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER. You can search for a clinical trial on the CancerNet Web site.