Melanoma survivor: clinical trials have "given me life"

Ask your provider about clinical trials.

When Dr. Mohammed Milhem approached her about participating in a clinical trial for a new cancer drug, Claire Barnhouse was nervous and didn’t know what would happen. But she told herself, "I might be able to help find a cure if I do this. So I just went for it."

After Claire was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma, she enrolled in a clinical trial testing the effectiveness of Yervoy, a new drug that gets the body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. It has fewer and less severe side effects than the standard cancer treatments, so she jumped at the chance to try it. She was still able to work during her treatments. "It’s given me life, a second chance at it," she said about the new treatment.

"I was relieved they asked me to be in a trial. They were trying to give me the best options for my cancer. Dr. Mo and the rest of the staff truly cared about my life. They went above and beyond to help," she added.