Clinical trials are research studies that involve people. Each study tries to answer scientific questions and to find better ways to prevent, diagnose or treat cancer. A clinical trial is one of the stages of a long and careful cancer research process. Getting promising results from testing a new drug on mice, for example, is a preliminary step to human research studies. Treatments th at work well in mice do not always work well in people.
People can benefit from clinical trials.
New treatments under study are not always better than, or even as good as, standard care. And they may have unexpected side effects. Through a process called informed consen t you will learn about a study's treatments and tests, and their possible benefits and risks, before deciding whether or not to participate. Each study has its own guidelines for who can participate. In treatment trials, involving people who have cancer, placebos are very rarely used.