Research - clinical trials for cervical 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, to make them more effective or to reduce side effects
• compare the effectiveness of drugs used to control symptoms
• find out how cancer treatments work
• find out treatments are the most cost-effective.

Trials are the only reliable way to find out if a different type of operation, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or other 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. There can be many benefits in doing this.

Trials help to improve knowledge about cancer and develop new treatments. You will be carefully monitored during and after the study. Usually, several hospitals around the country take part in these trials. It’s important to bear in mind that some treatments that look promising at first are often later found to be not as good as existing treatments, or to have side effects that outweigh the benefits.

If you decide not to take part in a trial your decision will be respected and you do not have to give a reason. There will be no change in the way you’re treated by the hospital staff and you will be offered the standard treatment for your situation.

The process of clinical trials is described in more detail in our section about cancer research trials| , which includes links to clinical trials databases that have details of research trials for cervical cancer.

Blood and tumour samples

Many blood samples and tumour biopsies may be taken to help make the right diagnosis. You may be asked for 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 may be frozen and stored for future use, when new research techniques become available. These samples will have your name removed 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 hospital.

The samples will be used to increase knowledge about the causes of cancer and its treatment, which could improve the outlook for future patients. This type of research takes a long time, and results may not be available for many years.