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What are clinical trials, and why do we need them for ALL?
Robin Foà
September 8, 2025
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For World ALL Day 2025, Know ALL spoke to Robin Foà, an emeritus Professor of Hematology from Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, IT. We asked, What are clinical trials, and why do we need them for ALL?
During this interview, Professor Foà explained the role of clinical trials in advancing treatment for ALL and other blood cancers. Clinical trials are structured studies that test new drugs or treatment approaches, starting with early phases focused on safety and moving to larger studies that compare new treatments against the best current standard of care. Foà emphasized that all drugs must go through clinical trials before being approved by regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration in the US and the European Medicines Agency. These studies follow strict rules to make sure results are reliable and meaningful.
For patients, participation in a trial does not mean receiving unsafe care. In randomized studies, those in the control group receive the best available approved therapy, while others may receive the investigational drug or approach being tested. Trials also often include detailed diagnostic and follow-up assessments, ensuring consistent standards of care across participating centers. While clinical trials are not the only option for treatment, they are essential for testing and approving new therapies and for improving long-term outcomes in patients with ALL and other blood cancers.
This educational resource is independently supported by Amgen. All content was developed by SES in collaboration with an expert ambassador group. Funders were allowed no influence on the content of this resource.
