Méthodologie de la recherche clinique en oncologie thoracique

Clinical research has become an integral part of the activity of thoracic oncologists. The design of a clinical trial requires first a precise question of research, based on observation and review of the literature. This question should include the study population, the assessed intervention, the comparator if necessary and the endpoint. Interventional randomized trials aim at assessing the effect of a health intervention on patients, whereas observational trials aim at determining the impact of a risk factor for the development or progression of disease (cross-sectional, case/control, cohort studies). The medico-economic analysis completes the field of clinical research. It aims at helping clinicians and policy makers to choose the most effective treatments at an acceptable cost. It is subject to its own methodology.