When Should I Consider Clinical Trials?
Participating in a clinical trial is a big decision, one that should be made after carefully considering the risks and benefits and discussing them with your doctor. Some patients don't think about a clinical trial unless they are not doing well on standard therapy. However, clinical trials exist across the spectrum of stages that lung cancer patients experience and there may be a clinical trial available for early stage treatment, too. Some questions to consider as you begin the process of researching clinical trials:
- General Questions
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- If I participate in a clinical trial, how will that experience differ than if I receive the standard therapy?
- Will there be more doctor visits?
- Will I have to travel to a different location?
- Will there be additional costs involved?
- What studies are available for my specific type of cancer and its stage?
- Are they nearby?
- What evidence is there that they show promise?
- Will the clinical trial require me to stay in the hospital?
- If so, who will pay for that expense?
- How do the clinical trial doctors work with my doctors?
- Will I have to leave the care of my doctor or will my doctor be able to administer the treatment for the trial?
- Can I talk to people already enrolled in the study?
- Questions about a specific study
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- What is the study designed to find out?
- Is the goal of the study curative or palliative?
- Is it testing a new combination of existing drugs and/or radiation?
- Is this a Phase I, II, III, or IV clinical trial?
- How many people will be enrolled in the study?
- How is the study structured?
- Is it a randomized, controlled trial?
- Blind? Double blind?
- Who is sponsoring the study (e.g., a drug company or the government)?
- Who has reviewed and approved the study?
- How long will the study last?
- How will participants be communicated with?
- Will participants receive regular information on the status of the trial?
- Will participants receive information on any early results?
- Will participant receive the results at the end of the study?
- How will patients be monitored throughout the study?
- Who is in charge (principal investigator) of the study? What is that person's qualifications?
- Questions about risks and benefits of a specific study
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- What are the potential risks involved in participating in this study compared to receiving the standard therapy for my cancer?
- What are the potential benefits?
- Can these risks and benefits be categorized into short- and long-term?
