Clinical trials

Areas of research in transplants include looking at:

• the best forms of conditioning treatment
• ways of preventing graft-versus-host disease (GvHD)
• techniques for speeding up bone marrow recovery time.

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

Taking part in a trial

You may be asked to take part in a treatment research trial, and there can be many benefits in doing this. It’s important to bear in mind that some treatments that look promising at first are often later found to be less effective than existing treatments or to have side effects that outweigh the benefits.

Many transplant studies involve hospitals across the UK and other countries. You’ll be carefully monitored during and after the study. If you decide not to take part in a trial, your decision will be respected and you don’t have to give a reason. There will be no change in the way you’re treated by the hospital staff, and you’ll be offered the standard treatment for your situation. 

We have a section which describes clinical trials| in more detail.