Questions You Should Ask if Considering a Clinical Trial

There are many types of clinical trials.

Some involve you having to go to hospital and others can be taken at home and you may have to visit the hospital just to make sure everything is going well, and there have been no side effects. 

Other clinical trials don’t involve a treatment; some of the trials we are doing involve supportive care questions.

Every clinical trial is designed to answer a set of research questions. To participate in a trial, you will need to fit the guidelines for that trial, and be assessed as eligible by your doctor or treating team.

If you are thinking about taking part in a clinical trial, here are some important questions to ask your Doctor or treating practitioner:

• What is the purpose of the study?

• What does the study involve? What kinds of tests and treatments? (Find out what is done and how it is done)

• What is likely to happen to me with or without this new research treatment? What could the cancer do and what could this treatment do?

• What are my options and what are their advantages and disadvantages?

• Are there standard treatments for my case and how does the study compare with them?

• How could the study affect my daily life?

• What side effects could I expect from the study? (There can also be side effects from standard treatments and from the disease itself)

• How long will the study last? Will it require an extra time commitment on my part?

• Will I have to be hospitalised? If so, how often and for how long?

• Will I have any costs? Will any of the treatment be free?

• If I am harmed as a result of the research, what treatment would I receive?

• What type of long-term follow-up care is part of the study?