Clinical trials

Clinical trials test new treatments, or investigate new ways of preventing, diagnosing or screening for cancer. Clinical trials are those that involve patients, rather than being laboratory-based research.

Being involved in a clinical trial may be advantageous, as you may receive a treatment that is only available in a clinical trial. New treatments are carefully researched in a laboratory before they are tested with patients, but there is some risk with any experimental treatment, and no guarantee that it will be better than the standard treatment.

Pelican believes that many patients that may be eligible to participate in clinical trials may not currently be included. If you would like to consider participating in a clinical trial, it is worth asking your cancer specialist about any current trials that may be relevant to you.

If you would like to find out more about participating in a clinical trial, you may find these websites helpful:

• Macmillan

• National Cancer Research Network

• National Cancer Institute

• Cancer Research UK

• Find out about current clinical trials.