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Patients

Is participating in a clinical trial in oncology an option for me?

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What are clinical trials?

Cancer drugs currently on the market have been thoroughly evaluated in clinical trials to ensure their safety and efficacy in cancer patients.

All over Quebec, hundreds of cancer clinical trials are currently underway even outside of metropolitan areas.

These trials test:

There are strict rules for clinical research.
In Canada, clinical trials are conducted under the supervision of Health Canada and a Research Ethics Review Committee.

Who is concerned?

There are clinical trials for different types and stages of cancer. Clinical trials are a possibility especially if:

Participate

The decision to participate or not is entirely yours. If you decide to take part in a study, you can stop at any time and for any reason.

Once you have received all required information about the trial, make sure to evaluate the pros and cons with your study doctor, your family and/or
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I’m interested but do I qualify?

Clinical trial participants are chosen on the basis of several criteria (e.g. cancer stage, medical history, previous treatments, etc.). You should talk to your doctor about it.

How do I figure out if a clinical trial is appropriate for me?

Talk to your study doctor and the research nurse. Here are questions you could ask them:

Frequently asked questions

The minimum treatment that you will ever receive is the current standard treatment approved for your condition. If there are no standard treatment
for your condition, you may receive only a placebo. You will be informed by your study doctor if receiving a placebo is a possibility in the context of a clinical trial.

You cannot be enrolled in a clinical trial without consenting voluntarily. After having received all the information, you’re the one who decides in
all freedom if you want to participate.

Yes. You can always drop out of a clinical trial at any time, for any reason, without jeopardizing the quality of medical care you will be receiving.

You may need to go to the hospital more often, so you may have extra expenses, such as transportation and parking expenses. Some
clinical trials reimburse these costs. Before the start of the trial, ask your research team if these costs are covered.

HAVING TROUBLE FINDING WHAT YOU NEED?

Experienced nurses from the Quebec Cancer Foundation and information specialists from the Canadian Cancer Society can help you: