Deciding to Take Part in Clinical Trials
Whenever you need treatment for your cancer, clinical trials
may be an option for you. Choosing to join a clinical trial is
something only you, those close to you, and your doctors and
nurses can decide together. This section has information you
can use when thinking about your treatment choices and
making your decision.
Weighing the Pros and Cons
As a treatment option, a clinical trial has possible benefits as
well as drawbacks. You may want to discuss the following
issues with your doctor and the people close to you.
Possible Benefits
- Clinical trials offer high-quality cancer care. If you are in
a randomized study and do not receive the new treatment
being tested, you will receive the best known standard
treatment. This may be as good as, or better than, the
new approach.
- If a new treatment is proven to work and you are taking
it, you may be among the first to benefit.
- By looking at the pros and cons of clinical trials and your
other treatment choices, you are taking an active role in a
decision that affects your life.
- You have the chance to help others and improve
cancer treatment.
Possible Drawbacks
- New treatments under study are not always better than,
or even as good as, standard care.
- If you receive standard care instead of the new
treatment being tested, it may not be as effective as
the new approach.
- New treatments may have side effects that doctors do not
expect or that are worse than those of standard treatment.
- Even if a new treatment has benefits, it may not work for
you. Even standard treatments, proven effective for many
people, do not help everyone.
- Health insurance and managed care providers do not
always cover all patient care costs in a study. What they
cover varies by plan and by study. To find out in advance
what costs are likely to be paid in your case, check with
your insurance company and talk to a doctor, nurse or
social worker from the study.
If a new treatment is proven to work
and you are taking it, you may be
among the first to benefit.
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