How Can I Find a Clinical Trial for Metastatic Melanoma?
How Can I Find a Clinical Trial for Metastatic Melanoma?
There are also risks when you try an experimental treatment, including:
If you'd like to take part in a study, ask your doctor to help you find one that would be good for you.
You can also visit one of these web sites to search for trials in your area:
A doctor or nurse will tell you all about the clinical trial and what tests and treatments you can expect. This is called informed consent.
Joining a study is your choice. You have the right to leave the trial at any time and for any reason.
Researchers who do clinical trials must follow strict standards to keep patients safe. If they learn the treatment is not safe, they'll stop the trial or take you out of it.
Before you can join, the researchers will make sure you're a good match for the study. They'll look at:
Make sure you understand what is involved in the study. Ask your doctor:
Should I Consider a Clinical Trial for Metastatic Melanoma?
In this article
- What Is a Clinical Trial?
- Benefits
- Risks
- How to Find a Clinical Trial
- Trial Safety
- 11 Questions to Ask Before You Sign Up
- What to Expect During a Clinical Trial
Risks
There are also risks when you try an experimental treatment, including:
- It might not work as well as the current treatment for metastatic melanoma.
- The results might be better for some people than for you.
- You may need to have extra tests as part of the study.
- There might be side effects.
- The trial might not pay for all of your treatment costs, and your health insurance may not cover the rest.
How to Find a Clinical Trial
If you'd like to take part in a study, ask your doctor to help you find one that would be good for you.
You can also visit one of these web sites to search for trials in your area:
- www.nih.gov/health/clinicaltrials
- www.clinicaltrials.gov
- www.nhlbi.nih.gov/studies/index.htm
Trial Safety
A doctor or nurse will tell you all about the clinical trial and what tests and treatments you can expect. This is called informed consent.
Joining a study is your choice. You have the right to leave the trial at any time and for any reason.
Researchers who do clinical trials must follow strict standards to keep patients safe. If they learn the treatment is not safe, they'll stop the trial or take you out of it.
Before you can join, the researchers will make sure you're a good match for the study. They'll look at:
- The stage of your cancer
- Your age
- What treatments you've had in the past
- Your health and medical history
11 Questions to Ask Before You Sign Up
Make sure you understand what is involved in the study. Ask your doctor:
- What is the purpose of this trial?
- What kinds of tests, medicines, surgery, or other treatments will I get?
- How might this treatment help my cancer?
- Which doctors or other staff will care for me?
- Which tests will I have?
- What side effects or risks could the treatment cause?
- Who will look out for problems and make sure I'm safe?
- How long will the trial last?
- Who will pay for my tests and treatments?
- Will my insurance pay for any costs the study doesn't cover?
- What will happen after the clinical trial?
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