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Developmental Therapeutics Clinic (DTC) What to Expect

Process Overview

The NCI Developmental Therapeutics Clinic (DTC) receives referrals, including self-referrals, from patients, family members, physicians, clinical staff, and other researcher teams.

A Clinical Referral Coordinator will be assigned to each patient to assist in collecting all records, scans, and/or pathology specimens needed to review the patient for preliminary eligibility. After all necessary materials are available onsite, each potential participant’s case is reviewed by one of our highly trained providers. The provider may be a physician or a nurse practitioner on the DTC team.

Though we try to review each patient’s case as quickly as possible, this review may take up to two weeks depending on the number of pending cases. After reviewing the case, the provider will inform the referral coordinators of the potential participant’s eligibility status and the trials that may be available to the patient. The referral coordinator will then reach out to the patient or the referring physician’s office to discuss the findings and potentially start the scheduling process for a screening visit or screen/start visit, depending on availability and convenience.

Step-by-step instructions for prospective patients

  1. The patient, family member, or local provider (physician or nurse) contacts the DTC via email, phone, or referral form regarding evaluation for a clinical trial.
  2. The referral coordinators or another member of the team will respond promptly to the inquiry.
  3. Working with the referral coordinators, all necessary records for preliminary eligibility review are collected by the Clinical Research Referral Coordinator and sent to the referral office via fax or mail (see the Records Requested section for more information).
  4. Once all necessary records are available on site, the provider (physician or nurse practitioner) will review the patient’s information for potential eligibility and share any results with the Clinical Research Coordinator. Additional records may be requested as needed.
  5. The Clinical Research Coordinator will communicate with the patient to discuss any findings.
  6. If potentially eligible for a research study, the Clinical Research Coordinator will work with the provider and the patient to schedule a screening visit at the NIH Clinical Center.

Start Visit

At a Start Visit, a member of the study team will go through the protocol consent with you in detail to answer any remaining questions and concerns you might have. At that point, if you are still interested in participating, you will sign the protocol consent form with the PI and the research team member. If you are accepted for the study and decide to proceed, you will begin the study procedures as directed according to the protocol. Each study is unique and could require admission to the clinical center, observation, or administration of the study drug. The research nurses will talk with you about study procedures and provide you with a study calendar.

Screening Visit

A screening visit is a potential participant's chance to meet the DTC team and discuss their options, questions, and concerns with the study team. If you would like to participate in a study, you may also be asked to sign a Screening Consent form and complete screening/baseline examinations. These examinations, tests, or procedures are part of your regular cancer care and should be done by your health care team even if you do not join a study. If they were completed recently, they may not need to be repeated. This will be up to you and your study doctor. These tests/procedures may include:

  • Complete medical history, including prior hormone use
  • Physical examination, including height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature
  • Standard blood tests (requiring about 1 tablespoon of blood total), which include measurement of your white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, blood sugar, and electrolytes, and how your liver and kidneys work
  • Pregnancy test to check for pregnancy in women who are able to become pregnant
  • EKG to check your heart
  • CT scans of your chest, abdomen, and pelvis to measure your tumor(s); other imaging tests may be done as needed
  • Eye Exam, including physical eye examination, history, and vision test

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