Dr. Monica Patel, medical oncologist at UW Health, shares her expertise on clinical trials in cancer care and the importance of ensuring equitable access for all communities. She challenges common misconceptions while providing practical guidance for patients considering clinical trials as part of their treatment journey.

• Clinical trials test new ways to prevent, find, and treat cancer, ensuring treatments are safe and effective
• Most clinical trials are available as first-line treatments, not just as a last resort
• Participation is completely voluntary, and patients can leave a study at any time
• Provider bias, system barriers, and patient concerns all contribute to inequitable access
• Building trust requires education and engagement with communities historically excluded from research
• Research teams provide additional support through the entire clinical trial process
• Diverse representation in trials ensures new treatments work effectively for everyone
• Patients should ask about risks, benefits, and how trials compare to standard care
• Family members can provide valuable support in navigating complex trial information

If you have questions about cancer clinical trials, ask your doctors about available options, even if they don't bring them up first. For more information, visit uwhealth.org/cancertrials or clinicaltrials.gov.

What happens when the person designing cancer treatment technology suddenly becomes the patient? In this powerful episode, software engineer Michael Wilson shares his journey from coding radiotherapy machines to battling stage 3 melanoma. He explains cancer in simple terms, reveals how immunotherapy and radiation work, and talks openly about his family’s experiences with leukemia and melanoma. Michael also discusses genetic screening, rare diagnoses, and the importance of prevention and support networks like Gilda’s Club. This is an honest, hopeful, and surprisingly relatable look at life, technology, and resilience.

Dr. Joshua Lang from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Carbone Cancer Center discusses liquid biopsies, a revolutionary approach that uses simple blood samples to detect and monitor cancer, offering less invasive alternatives to traditional tissue biopsies.

• Liquid biopsies detect cancer cells or materials in blood, finding as little as one cancer cell among a billion blood cells
• These tests are especially useful for monitoring cancer after treatment, detecting genetic changes that cause resistance, and expanding access to advanced diagnostics
• Dr. Lang's research was inspired by his patients' needs, particularly understanding why cancers become resistant to treatments
• Certain cancers show promising results with liquid biopsies, including melanoma, bladder cancer, and colon cancer
• Community participation in research, with almost 1,500 patient volunteers at UW, has been crucial to advancing liquid biopsy technology
• Participating in research studies could dramatically speed up the approval of life-saving treatments – potentially saving tens of thousands of lives
• Modern research participation ensures patients maintain complete control over their samples and data
• Programs like REACH and WiscShare are expanding access to research opportunities in rural and underserved communities

If you're interested in learning more about liquid biopsies or participating in cancer research, contact the Carbone Cancer Center or visit the WiscShare website to explore opportunities to contribute to groundbreaking cancer research.