Phase 1 clinical cancer trials added as TRICARE benefit for those eligible

  • Published
  • By Shari Lopatin
  • TriWest Healthcare Alliance
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Phase I clinical cancer trials have been added as a TRICARE benefit for those who are eligible.

When Ellen Beare learned she had Stage 3 breast cancer, she decided not to tell people at work.

"I just didn't want to be defined by cancer," Beare said.

For many, that sentiment rings very common today. Nearly 12 million Americans were diagnosed with some type of cancer in 2010, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Discovering you, or a loved one has cancer, is very difficult. Beare, who is a care coordinator in Tacoma, Wash. for TriWest Healthcare Alliance, struggled most with telling her son.

"It was probably harder telling him than anything else," Beare said, pausing to keep from crying. "He is my only child."

For those who have received this type of news, TRICARE recently expanded its coverage for cancer clinical trials. This makes it possible for cancer patients with TRICARE to receive more types of treatments. Beare, who is 63 years old and cancer-free today, is a strong believer in finding a cure.

"Cancer is very real, very prevalent, but with research, there can be a cure," she said.

What does TRICARE cover?

TRICARE covers three types of cancer clinical trials for those who are eligible. These trials test different ways to prevent, detect and treat various cancers.

Of the three phases, Phase I trials were recently added as a TRICARE benefit:
  • Phase I trials: determine the highest dosage of a drug the body can handle, and the effects that drug has on the body.
  • Phase II trials: study the safety and effectiveness of an intervention method on a certain type of cancer, and how that method affects the body.
  • Phase III trials: compare promising new treatments to the standard treatments.
How to sign up

To take part in a trial, pre-authorization is needed. If you are TRICARE-eligible, you may be able to take advantage of the cancer clinical trials. The only exception is active duty service members, who would go through their military clinic instead.

"If clinical trials are available to someone through TRICARE, I would encourage them to get information, just as they should get information on the type of cancer they have and the current treatment options," Beare said.

For more information, or to see about taking part in a trial, contact a TriWest Cancer Clinical Trial Coordinator by calling 1-866-427-6610.