Research - clinical trials for chemotherapy treatments

Cancer research trials are carried out to try to find new and better treatments for cancer. Trials that are carried out on patients are known as clinical trials.|

Clinical trials may be carried out to:

• test new treatments, such as new chemotherapy drugs, gene therapy or cancer vaccines
• look at new combinations of existing treatments, or change the way they are given, in order to make them more effective or to reduce side effects
• compare the effectiveness of drugs used for symptom control
• see which treatments are the most cost-effective.
• find out how cancer treatments work.

Trials are the only reliable way to find out if a different type of chemotherapy is better than what is already available.

Taking part in a trial

There can be many benefits in taking part in a trial. Trials help to improve knowledge about cancer and the development of new treatments.

You'll be carefully monitored during and after the trial. Usually, several hospitals around the country take part in these trials.

Blood and tumour samples

Many blood, bone marrow or tumour samples (biopsies) may be taken to help make the right diagnosis. You may be asked for your permission to use some of your samples for research into cancer.

If you're taking part in a trial, you may also be asked to give other samples which will be frozen and stored for future use, when new research techniques become available. These samples will have your name removed from them so you can’t be identified.

The research may be carried out at the hospital where you are treated, or it may be at another one. This type of research takes a long time and results may not be available for many years. The samples will, however, be used to increase knowledge about the causes of cancer and its treatment. This research will, hopefully, improve the outlook for future patients.