See Introduction to Clinical Trials 2. 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 that work well in mice do not always work well in people. See How a Clinical Trial is Planned and Carried Out .
People can benefit from clinical trials.
Each study has its own guidelines for who can participate. Generally, participants are alike in key ways - such as the type and stage of cancer, age, gender, and other factors. 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 consent you will learn about a study's treatments and tests, and their possible benefits and risks, before deciding whether or not to participate.