Potential Benefits of Cancer Trials
Cancer clinical trials, also called cancer trials, may give you another option than the treatment plan you are currently on. Cancer trials can also provide you with care that adds to your treatment options and that would not be available outside of a trial.
There are a number of potential benefits associated with taking part in a clinical study, including:
Access: You may get access to new research therapies. These therapies often represent learnings from some of the most recent scientific advancements in cancer research.
Additional care: You will receive additional care throughout a cancer trial. This may include specialized attention and monitoring from doctors, nurses, and schedulers connected with the study who will partner with your oncology team to make sure you are appropriately monitored and following the research plan.
Advancing cancer treatment: Most medicines and treatments available today were first developed through clinical research. If you or a loved one takes part in a clinical trial, that participation may help advance cancer treatment for years to come.
Comparable health outcomes: Research shows that there are similar levels of benefits and risks between clinical trial participants and nontrial participants. While participating in a clinical trial may come with varying levels of risk, it does not have to mean sacrificing your own health outcomes.1,2
More knowledge: Joining a cancer trial could allow you to learn more about your type of cancer. You could also get more information about support groups and other helpful resources.
There are also risks associated with participating in cancer clinical trials, such as:
Unknown side effects: New research therapies may have unknown side effects, which can range from mild to more severe. Side effects are carefully assessed and monitored by a physician during a patient’s time in the trial.
Potential inconvenience: Joining a cancer trial may require extra time and effort on your part. You may have more frequent or longer doctor appointments, take more tests, have additional procedures or hospital visits, or need to follow complex medication dosage schedules.
Ineffective treatment: Even though a treatment may benefit others, it doesn’t mean that it will work for you.
Unable to choose treatment group: In some clinical trials, you may not be in the group that gets the study treatment.
Before joining a clinical trial, you should always speak with your doctor to weigh the overall risks and benefits.
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References
1 Bouzalmate-Hajjaj A, Masso Guijarro P, Saeed Khan K, Bueno-Cavanillas A, Cano-Ibanez N. Benefits of participation in clinical trials: an umbrella review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(22):15368. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9691211/
2 Clinical research: benefits, risks, and safety. National Institute on Aging. Reviewed May 18, 2023. Accessed November 22, 2024. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/clinical-trials-and-studies/clinical-research-benefits-risks-and-safety#:~:text=You%20may%20have%20the%20 = chance,about%20 your%20disease%20or%20condition