A brief general and personal history of research conducted in partnership with patients is outlined in order to substantiate the beneficial effect of this method in improving the quality of research and to illustrate the importance to patients of testing treatments in a manner that takes account of the outcomes they seek. Examples of two early initiatives, Radiotherapy Action Group Exposure (RAGE) and the Consumers' Advisory Group for Clinical Trials (CAG-CT), are used to demonstrate what can be accomplished by committed groups of patients working with policy makers and practitioners to improve the quality and provision of treatments for breast cancer.
