How do I decide whether or not to take part? You need to feel
you have been given enough information to help you decide
whether or not to take part in a clinical trial. The main
benefits of taking part in a clinical trial include: - you may
receive a new treatment before it becomes widely available - you
will be closely monitored (patients on clinical trials often
receive more attention) - helping future patients with cancer.
The disadvantages of taking part in a clinical trial include: -
you may have more appointments at the hospital than if you
weren’t in a clinical trial - new treatments may have side
effects or risks that doctors were not expecting - participants
in randomised trials will not be able to choose which treatment
they receive. The importance of information Trials need to be a
team effort to make sure they are successful. If you decide to
take part, you are an essential member of this team. You must be
given all the information you want, you must understand what
will happen, and you must freel