Clinical research is conducted in humans and refers to a series of scientific studies that must be completed to develop new drugs or treatments. They are subject to strict regulation and are a critical step in registering a medicinal product and determining the methods of its optimal use to ensure a therapeutic effect in patients. Clinical trials can span several years and must be organized according to a trial protocol that ensures the safety of participants.
It is believed that the more participants in the trials within a single study, the more accurate it is, and so it is in most cases. However, a deeper analysis of a smaller sample is required in some situations. The collection of redundant data can shift the focus to general statistics, removing the focus from the causes of statistical outliers. The development of oncological drugs requires many resources, and it is often targeted that specific studies are needed to obtain a faster and less costly result. However, often the norms and rules established by law can hinder optimizing clinical trials. Additional statistics showing how quantity does not lead to quality in certain situations are needed to privately revise specific standards of procedure.
Optimization may concern not only the quantitative indicator of the sample but also certain stages of the study. Monitoring can take many time and resources, putting much pressure on the centers. In addition, each study provides an answer to one narrow aspect of the disease, and in the case of cancer, more different studies need to be done than focusing on one question. Consequently, it is necessary to optimize the workload on the relevant centers and institutions to find answers to more meaningful and specific questions than the broad collection of data from large samples. It is undoubtedly not just cancer trials that need such a critical appraisal.