Questions to ask your doctor about clinical trials

How the trial or study will affect you

• What are my chances of benefiting from this research?
• What are the potential risks to me?
• Will I experience any side effects? How will they be treated?
• Are there any extra tests involved?
• Will I need to take time off work? Will my day-to-day life be affected?
• Can I be paid back for any out-of-pocket expenses?
• Can I still participate if I need to travel interstate or overseas?
• If I join this study, will I miss out on other treatment opportunities?
• How much time do I have to think about whether to join this trial? If I take time to decide, will delaying the treatment affect how well it works?
• Who will oversee my cancer care while I’m participating?
• Can I still have other medicines or complementary therapies?

About the trial or study

• Can you go through the participant information with me?
• Can I have the participant information in a different language?
• What is being tested in the trial or study and why?
• How many other people will be involved in this research?
• How long does the research last? How long do I need to be involved?
• Will the trial use a placebo?
• If it is a randomised controlled trial, will I have the option to switch treatment arms if the cancer advances or I have bad side effects?
• Who is funding the trial? Has it been approved by an ethics committee?
• Who can I contact if I have a problem?
• Can I leave the trial early?

After the trial or study

• What will happen with the research results? How will I be told about them?
• Will I have follow-up care through the clinical trials team?
• If I respond to the treatment, will I still be able to get it after the trial is over?