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Clinical Trials FAQs
Every day, researchers are working to find new and improved treatments for mesothelioma through clinical trials. If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be considering whether participating in one of these studies is right for you. The questions and answers below provide some basic information to help you decide.
What is a clinical trial?
A clinical trial is a controlled medical research study. Before any new treatment can be recommended or approved for general use, researchers must determine its safety and effectiveness. Studies may focus on new drugs, surgical or radiation techniques, vaccines, or biological therapies, either alone or combination with other treatments. In the case of trial drugs, tests are conducted on human patients only after promising results in the laboratory and in animal testing.
Who is eligible to participate in a clinical trial?
Each mesothelioma clinical trial has its own criteria for eligibility. Factors used to determine eligibility may include the patient’s age, current and past treatments, stage of disease, and other personal or disease-related characteristics.
Must I change doctors if I join a mesothelioma clinical trial?
No. You can continue working with your current healthcare team throughout the trial.
How can I benefit by participating in a clinical trial?
When you participate in a mesothelioma clinical trial, you can be proud, knowing you’re helping countless other current and future patients who have mesothelioma. Here are some additional ways you may benefit:
- You’ll receive new mesothelioma treatments before they become available to the general public. These may be more effective than the current standard treatment.
- Throughout the study, doctors and nurses will closely monitor you and watch very carefully for any side effects or changes in your condition.
- You may be able to receive part of your treatment free of charge.
What are the risks of participating in a mesothelioma clinical trial?
Although many precautions are taken to ensure the safety of clinical trial participants, there is always risk involved. Before you enter a trial, your healthcare provider will talk with you in detail about the risks and benefits of the treatment. You will then be asked to sign an Informed Consent form to verify that you have received this information.
Clinical trials offer one more treatment option for patients with mesothelioma. However, it’s important to remember that no one treatment works for everyone.
If you participate in a Phase III study, you may not be assigned to the group receiving the new treatment. When the most effective treatment has been determined, however, you’ll be switched to it immediately.
In the end, most people find that the potential benefits of a mesothelioma clinical trial generally outweigh the risks.
Where can I learn about current clinical studies?
A good place to start is the National Cancer Institute’s clinical trials search form, where you’ll find many trials for mesothelioma and other types of cancer. You may also want to visit one of the commercial trial-finder sites listed below. There you will find NCI-sponsored and pharmaceutical company-sponsored clinical trials.