In addition to testing new treatments, clinical trials may test new combinations of existent therapies, new ways of administering conventional therapeutics, or how lifestyle changes may improve or prevent disease. Clinical trials may also focus on methods of detection and diagnosis of disease, improvement of patient comfort and quality of life, and the psychological impact of disease. The FDA has strict guidelines for how proposed trials are evaluated. All legal and ethical medical codes that regulate medical practice apply equally to clinical trials. A chief tenant is that the potential benefits will always outweigh the risks, and no harm will knowingly be done to any patient.
Researchers eventually compare the results of different treatments in hundreds of patients.
Results are used to guide future treatment decisions. Patients may be eligible for different phases of a trial depending upon their overall health, the type and stage of illness and the nature of treatment that they have already received. Why you might choose to join a clinical trial. If you are ill, and there is no satisfactory treatment available, the treatment tested in the clinical trial may help you. Participating may give you the satisfaction of helping speed scientific investigation that may help to treat future patients.