Clinical endpoint

Clinical endpoint (pronounced: /ˈklɪnɪkəl ˈɛndˌpɔɪnt/) is a term used in clinical trials to refer to an event or outcome that can be measured objectively to determine whether the intervention being studied is beneficial or not. The term is derived from the Greek words "klinikos" (meaning "bed") and "end" (meaning "point"), indicating the point at which a clinical intervention is deemed to have been successful or not.

Definition

A clinical endpoint is a biomarker or physical sign that indicates the progress of a disease or the effect of a treatment. It is used in clinical trials to assess the efficacy of a new drug or treatment method. The endpoint can be a positive change (such as the disappearance of a tumor) or a negative change (such as death or the occurrence of a side effect).

Types of Clinical Endpoints

There are several types of clinical endpoints, including:

• Primary endpoint: The main result that is measured at the end of a study to see if a given treatment worked.
• Secondary endpoint: Additional outcomes that are measured during a clinical trial to provide more information about the effects of the treatment.
• Tertiary endpoint: These are often long-term effects of a treatment that are not the primary focus of the trial but are still of interest.

Use in Clinical Trials

In a clinical trial, the clinical endpoint is the outcome that the trial is designed to measure. The choice of the clinical endpoint significantly affects the required sample size and the duration of the trial. The endpoint should be a direct measure of the effect of the intervention on the participants' health.

Etymology

The term "clinical endpoint" comes from the Greek words "klinikos" (meaning "bed") and "end" (meaning "point"). This reflects the idea that the endpoint is the point at which a clinical intervention is deemed to have been successful or not.

Related Terms

• Biomarker
• Clinical trial
• Primary endpoint
• Secondary endpoint
• Tertiary endpoint

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Clinical endpoint
• Wikipedia's article - Clinical endpoint

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