Should I take part in a clinical trial?
Only you can make the decision about whether or not to participate in a clinical trial. Before making a decision you should consult with your specialist and/or doctor and consider carefully your role within the study, the benefits, risks and side-effects, the location and duration of the study and any potential costs involved.
It is important that you obtain as much information as possible about the disease and also about clinical trials available to you, and whether or not it is appropriate for you to become involved in a study. Each clinical trial will have its own guidelines as to who is eligible to participate in the study. These are called eligibility criteria. Eligibility criteria will relate to the type and stage of cancer, your age and gender and current/previous health and cancer treatment. In some cases you may not be able to participate in a clinical trial. There can be many reasons for this. For example, the treatment may not be appropriate for you or your type of cancer. These issues can be discussed with your doctor or specialist.
