The benefits of participating in a clinical trial include the fact that
patients may benefit from the treatment or strategy that is being investigated.
That's one very important potential advantage of participating in a clinical trial.
In addition, many people who participate will say that they would like to have the opportunity
to benefit other people, both in the short and longer term, because by participating in a clinical trial,
people are helping to establish whether or not new ways of managing a particular condition
are safe and effective.
The potential disadvantages of participating in a clinical trial should be considered by people
who are thinking of doing so.
Ultimately, one doesn't know whether the treatment or intervention is going to be effective or not.
In addition, although a person will be monitored very closely, there are potential side effects
which might be experienced with a new therapy.
In addition, there may well be a requirement for extra visits in order to carry out blood test monitoring
or to undergo additional scans as part of the trial protocol.
These are some of the disadvantages of participating.
I would stress though that people are very closely monitored during the trial
and many people will report that this is an advantage for them, that they appreciate being very closely monitored
whilst on a clinical trial and having regular contact with the clinical trials team.
Even if someone decides not ultimately to proceed with a clinical trial,
by learning about the intervention involved, by reading through the information sheet
that accompanies the trial, people will often report that they tend to learn much more about their condition.
It's also often a starting point for people to have certain discussions,
either with a trial practitioner, a lymphoma doctor or a lymphoma clinical nurse specialist.
When patients have questions about taking part in a clinical trial,
often most of the technical and logistical questions can be answered best by the clinical trial team,
who is running the study.
But it's also useful for patients to speak to family and friends to get their ideas about things
and also to their GP, who will have an understanding of their general health
and who probably would have known them for a much longer period of time.
If you would like to find out whether you can take part in a clinical trial,
the easiest way to find out is to ask your medical team.
You can also look on the Internet, there are many websites.
An easier place to look would be Lymphoma TrialsLink, which specializes in lymphoma trials
and shows what trials are currently open in different parts of the country.