Is Participating in a Clinical Trial at a Cancer Research Center Right for You?
There really is no right or wrong answer when it comes to deciding whether you should participate in a clinical trial at a cancer research center.
It is one of the most personal decisions that you will ever make, so it is imperative that you speak with your doctor and explore all of your options.
You and your doctor will probably discuss your diagnosis, taking into account how advanced your disease is and what type you have.
This discussion will include a frank assessment of your prognosis, and how effective the standard therapy that you are undergoing is likely to be.
There are several websites that you can consult to find information regarding clinical trials in a cancer research center that you may be considering.
You may be able to find details on the type of trials that are being conducted and the kinds of cancer that they address.
Before you participate in any sort of trial, you need to ask yourself several questions.
Find out the purpose of the trial and why researchers think that it may be effective.
You'll want to know if the treatment has been tested before in trials similar to the one that you may be participating in, and what the results of those trials were.
Make sure you know how many patients are needed, how long you will be expected to participate, and how you will find out the results.
Ask why researchers think this trial will be of benefit to you, and what your other treatment options may be if you do not join.
Learn all of the possible risks of joining, and ask how you will know whether or not it works.
You'll also want to learn whether or not you'll need to stay in the hospital and how often you'll need to visit the cancer research center that is conducting the trial.
If you do decide to participate, it is important to know that you will be able to leave the trial at any time and for any reason.
There is a possibility that if you leave the trial the healthcare providers will probably want to continue monitoring you for some time afterward so that they can see if you are having any long-term effects from the treatment that you received.
Your insurance policy may or may not be asked to pay for any routine procedures, treatments, or tests that you would normally undergo through regular treatment.
Any research-related costs are usually taken care of by the sponsor of the trial.
Be sure that your insurance provider will cover the costs of regular treatment if you do choose to participate.
If you have any questions whatsoever, talk to your doctor or the cancer research center that is conducting the trial.
It is one of the most personal decisions that you will ever make, so it is imperative that you speak with your doctor and explore all of your options.
You and your doctor will probably discuss your diagnosis, taking into account how advanced your disease is and what type you have.
This discussion will include a frank assessment of your prognosis, and how effective the standard therapy that you are undergoing is likely to be.
There are several websites that you can consult to find information regarding clinical trials in a cancer research center that you may be considering.
You may be able to find details on the type of trials that are being conducted and the kinds of cancer that they address.
Before you participate in any sort of trial, you need to ask yourself several questions.
Find out the purpose of the trial and why researchers think that it may be effective.
You'll want to know if the treatment has been tested before in trials similar to the one that you may be participating in, and what the results of those trials were.
Make sure you know how many patients are needed, how long you will be expected to participate, and how you will find out the results.
Ask why researchers think this trial will be of benefit to you, and what your other treatment options may be if you do not join.
Learn all of the possible risks of joining, and ask how you will know whether or not it works.
You'll also want to learn whether or not you'll need to stay in the hospital and how often you'll need to visit the cancer research center that is conducting the trial.
If you do decide to participate, it is important to know that you will be able to leave the trial at any time and for any reason.
There is a possibility that if you leave the trial the healthcare providers will probably want to continue monitoring you for some time afterward so that they can see if you are having any long-term effects from the treatment that you received.
Your insurance policy may or may not be asked to pay for any routine procedures, treatments, or tests that you would normally undergo through regular treatment.
Any research-related costs are usually taken care of by the sponsor of the trial.
Be sure that your insurance provider will cover the costs of regular treatment if you do choose to participate.
If you have any questions whatsoever, talk to your doctor or the cancer research center that is conducting the trial.
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