Cancer Trials / Trials in Iowa
199 Recruiting Trials

Clinical Trials
for Cancer in Iowa

199 clinical trials for Cancer are currently recruiting participants at study sites in Iowa. Study-related care is provided at no cost.

199
Recruiting trials
102
Study sites
20
Cities
79
Industry-sponsored
76
Phase 2
93
Phase 3

Cancer clinical trials in Iowa: what to expect

Cancer is the single largest area of clinical research, and nearly every recruiting cancer trial is written for one cancer type at one stage. Most test a new drug or combination against the current standard treatment: targeted medicines matched to a mutation found in the tumor, immunotherapies that help the immune system recognize cancer cells, antibody-drug conjugates and cell therapies. Others study surgery and radiation techniques, ways to reduce side effects, and screening or prevention in people at higher risk.

In Iowa, recruiting cancer studies are concentrated in Iowa City, Des Moines, Waukee and Clive, with sites in 16 other cities. 79 of the 199 are run by a drug or device company, which usually means a larger study with travel reimbursement; the rest are academic or hospital-led.

Who cancer trials usually look for

Every listing names the cancer type and stage it enrolls, and most also state how many earlier treatments you may have had: some are for people newly diagnosed, many are for cancer that has come back or spread after a first treatment stopped working. Targeted-therapy trials require a specific result on tumor testing, which the site can arrange if it has not been done. Trials generally ask that you are well enough for daily activity (a "performance status" the doctor scores), that blood counts and liver and kidney function are adequate, and that a few weeks have passed since your last treatment.

Having advanced or metastatic cancer does not rule you out. A large share of recruiting trials are designed specifically for it.

What taking part involves

Screening reviews your pathology and scans, often with new blood work and sometimes a fresh biopsy. Treatment then follows a cycle, typically every two or three weeks, with scans every six to twelve weeks to measure the response. Early-phase trials have more frequent visits at the start. The study drug and study-specific tests are provided at no cost; standard care that you would receive anyway is usually billed to insurance as normal. A placebo on its own is rare in cancer trials: when there is one, it is added to the standard treatment, and the consent form says so.

Questions worth asking the study team

Whether the trial is randomized and what the comparison treatment is; what happens if the cancer grows during the study; whether you can keep receiving the drug afterward if it is working; how the trial fits with the plan your own oncologist has suggested; and what travel or lodging support is offered. Your oncologist can also refer you directly.

Showing 20 of 199 recruiting Cancer trials in Iowa

Prospective Study to Assess a Diagnostic Aid for Cancer
N/A Coronado, California +4 sites NCT07046260
This trial is looking for people aged 45 and older who have symptoms that might suggest cancer. Participants will take a blood test and may also have additional standard tests to see if cancer is present.
Recruiting
Integrated Cancer Repository for Cancer Research
N/A Greenwood Village, Colorado +4 sites NCT02012699
This trial is looking for adults who have a history of cancer, are at risk for developing cancer, or are healthy individuals. Participants will provide consent and may help advance cancer research by sharing data and samples.
Recruiting
A Study of Zolbetuximab Together With Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy in Adults With Gastric Cancer
PHASE3 Birmingham, Alabama +4 sites NCT06901531
This trial is looking for adults with advanced stomach or gastroesophageal junction cancer. Participants will receive a combination of zolbetuximab, pembrolizumab, and chemotherapy, or a placebo with pembrolizumab and chemotherapy to see how well it works.
Recruiting
Testing Whether Hormone Therapy With Ribociclib is as Effective as Chemotherapy Followed by Hormone Therapy With Ribociclib for the Treatment of High Anatomic Stage Breast Cancer With Low Recurrence Risk, The RxFINE-Low Trial
PHASE3 Jonesboro, Arkansas +4 sites NCT07391774
This trial is looking for women who are postmenopausal and have high stage breast cancer that is less likely to come back. Participants will compare hormone therapy and ribociclib to chemotherapy followed by hormone therapy and ribociclib.
Recruiting
Phase IIIb Study of Ribociclib + ET in Early Breast Cancer
PHASE3 Birmingham, Alabama +4 sites NCT05827081
This trial is looking for adults with early breast cancer that is hormone receptor positive and HER2 negative. If you join, you will receive ribociclib along with standard hormone therapy to see how effective this combination is.
Recruiting
Adding an Immunotherapy Drug, MEDI4736 (Durvalumab), to the Usual Chemotherapy Treatment (Paclitaxel, Cyclophosphamide, and Doxorubicin) for Stage II-III Breast Cancer
PHASE3 Birmingham, Alabama +4 sites NCT06058377
This trial is looking for women with hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative stage II-III breast cancer. Participants will receive standard chemotherapy along with an immunotherapy drug called durvalumab to see if it helps prevent cancer from coming back.
Recruiting
Trial of Nadofaragene Firadenovec vs. Observation in Participants With Intermediate Risk Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
PHASE3 Mobile, Alabama +4 sites NCT06510374
Recruiting
A Phase Ⅲ Study of Rilvegostomig in Combination With Fluoropyrimidine and Trastuzumab Deruxtecan as the First-line Treatment for HER2-positive Gastric Cancer
PHASE3 Anchorage, Alaska +4 sites NCT06764875
This trial is looking for individuals with advanced stomach cancer that tests positive for HER2. Participants will receive a combination of rilvegostomig, chemotherapy, and other treatments to see how well it works.
Recruiting
A Study of ZL-1310 Versus Investigator's Choice of Therapy in Participants With Relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer (DLLEVATE)
PHASE3 La Jolla, California +4 sites NCT07218146
This trial is looking for adults with relapsed small cell lung cancer who have had previous treatments. Participants will receive either ZL-1310 or another treatment their doctor chooses.
Recruiting
BGB-43395 Plus Letrozole Versus CDK4/6i Plus Letrozole for Patients With Advanced or Metastatic HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer Who Have Not Received Prior Treatment for Advanced or Metastatic Disease
PHASE3 Birmingham, Alabama +4 sites NCT07492641
This trial is looking for people with advanced breast cancer who have not been treated for it before. Participants will receive either BGB-43395 with letrozole or a different treatment option with letrozole.
Recruiting
Safety, Efficacy, and Pharmacokinetics of BNT327 in Combination With Chemotherapy and Other Investigational Agents for Lung Cancer (ROSETTA Lung-02)
PHASE2 Birmingham, Alabama +4 sites NCT06712316
This trial is looking for people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who have not received any treatment yet. Participants will receive a new treatment combined with chemotherapy and will be monitored for their health outcomes.
Recruiting
Study Comparing AAA817+ARPI Versus Standard of Care in Adult Participants With PSMA-positive mCRPC
PHASE3 Homewood, Alabama +4 sites NCT06855277
This trial is looking for adult men with a specific type of prostate cancer called PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Participants will receive a treatment called AAA817 along with other medications to see if it improves their condition.
Recruiting
Saruparib in Combination With Physician's Choice of ARPI in Patients With mHSPC Previously Treated With Docetaxel or 177Lu-PSMA Therapy Without Disease Progression and PSA ≥ 0.2 ng/mL (EvoPAR-PR05)
PHASE3 Hot Springs, Arkansas +4 sites NCT07711002
Recruiting
Safety and Efficacy of BNT327, an Investigational Therapy in Combination With Chemotherapy for Patients With Untreated Small-cell Lung Cancer
PHASE3 Tucson, Arizona +4 sites NCT06712355
This trial is looking for patients with untreated extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer. Participants will receive either BNT327 combined with chemotherapy or a different combination of treatments to see which works better.
Recruiting
Study of Sacituzumab Govitecan-hziy and Pembrolizumab Versus Treatment of Physician's Choice in Patients With Triple Negative Breast Cancer Who Have Residual Invasive Disease After Surgery and Neoadjuvant Therapy (ASCENT-05/AFT-65 OptimICE-RD/GBG 119/NSABP B-63)
PHASE3 Birmingham, Alabama +4 sites NCT05633654
This trial is looking for adults with triple negative breast cancer that remains after surgery and treatment. Participants will receive an experimental treatment combining two medications after recovery from surgery.
Recruiting
A Study of Camizestrant in ER+/HER2- Early Breast Cancer After at Least 2 Years of Standard Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy
PHASE3 Birmingham, Alabama +4 sites NCT05774951
This trial is looking for people with early breast cancer who have completed at least 2 years of standard treatment. Participants will receive camizestrant to see if it helps improve their outcomes compared to standard therapy.
Recruiting
Adding Surgery and Radiation to the Usual Treatment for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer That Had Already Spread at Diagnosis
PHASE3 Jonesboro, Arkansas +4 sites NCT07578116
This trial is looking for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Participants will receive standard drug treatment and may also undergo surgery and radiation therapy.
Recruiting
A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Standard-of-Care Chemotherapy and Bevacizumab With or Without INCA33890 in the First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Microsatellite Stable Colorectal Cancer
PHASE3 Mobile, Alabama +4 sites NCT07284849
This trial is looking for people with advanced colorectal cancer who have not received treatment for it yet. Participants will receive standard chemotherapy along with a medication called bevacizumab, with or without another drug called INCA33890.
Recruiting
Study of Opevesostat (MK-5684) Versus Alternative NHA in mCRPC (MK-5684-003)
PHASE3 Orange, California +4 sites NCT06136624
This trial is looking for men with metastatic prostate cancer that is resistant to hormonal therapy. Participants will receive either Opevesostat or another approved treatment to see which is more effective in improving survival.
Recruiting
A Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Divarasib and Pembrolizumab Versus Pembrolizumab and Pemetrexed and Carboplatin or Cisplatin in Participants With Previously Untreated, KRAS G12C-Mutated, Advanced or Metastatic Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
PHASE3 Anchorage, Alaska +4 sites NCT06793215
This trial is looking for adults with advanced lung cancer that has a specific mutation called KRAS G12C. Participants will be comparing two different treatment combinations to see which one works better.
Recruiting
See all 199 Cancer trials in Iowa

Where the Cancer studies are in Iowa

Research sites running the most studies
  • Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Des Moines59 trials
  • UI Health Care Mission Cancer and Blood - Des Moines Clinic, Des Moines57 trials
  • UI Health Care Mission Cancer and Blood - Ankeny Clinic, Ankeny56 trials
  • UI Health Care Mission Cancer and Blood - Laurel Clinic, Des Moines56 trials
  • UI Health Care Mission Cancer and Blood - Waukee Clinic, Waukee55 trials
  • Mercy Medical Center - Des Moines, Des Moines53 trials
By city

Counts are recruiting studies listing at least one site in Iowa, from ClinicalTrials.gov, refreshed every two days.

Cancer clinical trials in Iowa: common questions

How many Cancer clinical trials are recruiting in Iowa?
TrialFinder currently lists 199 recruiting Cancer clinical trials with study sites in Iowa. Results are updated regularly from ClinicalTrials.gov, the official U.S. registry of clinical studies.
Where are Cancer clinical trials located in Iowa?
Sites for these Cancer trials are spread across Iowa. Open any trial to see its full list of participating locations and contact details.
Do I need insurance to join a Cancer clinical trial in Iowa?
No. Study-related care is covered by the trial sponsor at no cost to participants, including the study treatment, required lab tests and study visits. Many Cancer trials in Iowa also compensate participants for time and travel. Health insurance is not required to search or enroll.
How do I qualify for a Cancer clinical trial in Iowa?
Each study sets its own criteria based on age, Cancer diagnosis details, prior treatments, current medications and general health. The fastest way to find out is to contact a research site directly — most will pre-screen you by phone in 10 to 15 minutes at no charge. You can also create a free TrialFinder profile to be matched automatically.
Will I get a placebo instead of cancer treatment?
Almost never. Cancer trials compare a new treatment with the current standard treatment, or add the study drug to standard treatment. When a placebo is used it is on top of standard care, and the consent form states this before you decide.
Can I join a cancer trial if my cancer has spread?
Yes. Many recruiting cancer trials are written for advanced or metastatic disease, including people whose earlier treatments have stopped working. The listing states the stage and prior treatments it accepts.
Do I have to stop my current cancer treatment to join a trial?
It depends on the trial. Some enroll people whose current treatment has stopped working, some add the study drug to the treatment you are on, and some are for people who have not started treatment yet. Ask the study team before changing anything.
Cancer Trials in Other States
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Helpful Reading
Are Clinical Trials Safe? What Patients Should Know
How clinical trial safety works — phases, IRB oversight, informed consent, and your right to withdraw — plus the real risks and questions to ask.
How to Know If You Qualify for a Clinical Trial
Every trial has eligibility criteria based on diagnosis, age, and medical history. Here's how to tell if you qualify — and what to do if you're not sure.
Clinical Trials Without Insurance: What You Need to Know
Clinical trials cover the cost of study-related care, making them one of the few ways to access treatment without health insurance. Here's what's covered.
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About Cancer Trials

Breast cancer trials test new chemotherapy regimens, immunotherapy combinations, targeted therapies, and early-detection methods across all stages of breast cancer.

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