Research is key to the future of cancer care. Clinical trials enhance standard cancer treatments, resulting in improved patient outcomes and survival rates.
Every patient at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is evaluated for participation in a clinical trial. Those who meet the criteria to participate in clinical research receive a standard of care treatment, but with the added benefit of a trial that may enhance their outcomes.
Through a National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) grant presented to LSU Health Sciences Centers in New Orleans and Shreveport, in collaboration with the Cancer Center, more advanced clinical trials are offered to patients statewide. This effort reaches about 80 percent of Louisiana residents, particularly minority populations, providing patients access to high-quality research studies closer to home.
The Cancer Center sponsors clinical trials to seek the safest and most effective treatments for each cancer type. Patients considering participating in one of our clinical trials will receive a thorough explanation from their doctor with information needed to make an informed decision. Physicians offer many clinical trials at any given time, including brain, breast, colorectal, head and neck, kidney, lung, melanoma, pancreas and prostate studies.
If interested in volunteering to participate in a clinical research trial, or if you have concerns about the conduct of clinical research, please contact the Clinical Research office at (225) 215-1375, or by email at clinicalresearch@marybird.com.
Cancer doesn’t affect everyone the same way, yet minority communities remain underrepresented in clinical trials. At Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, we’re working to remove barriers and build trust so that every person has the opportunity to participate in life-saving research. Diverse participation leads to critical insights and ensures new treatments are safe and effective for all.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is collaborating with The Walls Project, a local non-profit known for its transformational public art, to create a large-scale mural in North Baton Rouge that will amplify public understanding of clinical trials. The mural was unveiled in September 2025 and is intended to spark conversation and deepen public understanding of the importance of representation in clinical research. To learn more about the mural, located at the historic Cosey’s Barbershop at 1604 Plank Road, click here.
Clinical trials are research studies that involve human beings in order to test new ways to prevent, detect, diagnose or treat diseases. A drug must be part of a clinical trial before the FDA will approve it to be put on the market.
Oncology clinical trials are conducted in order to test new drugs or a new combination of drug treatments, new surgery and radiation therapies and new medical devices.
There are three ways you can sign up for a clinical trial:
For more information on clinical research trials, please fill out the form below and a team member will contact you.
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Louisiana and Gulf South residents have more options for advanced cancer treatment, thanks to a $5.6 million National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) award. The NCORP grant continues through 2019 and focuses on conducting multi-site cancer clinical trials and cancer care delivery research studies in many Louisiana communities.
The Cancer Center is collaborating with LSU Health Sciences Center-New Orleans and LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, referred to collectively as the Gulf South Minority/Underserved NCI Community Oncology Research Program (GS-MU-NCORP), to combine our strengths and experiences and bring more state-of-the-art NCI clinical trials to Louisiana cancer patients. Through this effort, we will reach about 80 percent of the state, including the most rural and urban areas where there are often great disparities in cancer care.
This grant expands cancer prevention, screening and survivorship clinical trials to improve early diagnosis and treatment as well as help patients cope with the extended process of getting back to their pre-cancer lives. Additionally, the initiative includes a multidisciplinary approach to patient care to provide the most comprehensive treatment plan for patients.
