If you are considering a clinical trial as a treatment option, you should learn everything you can about the trial. Weighing the pros and cons will help you make an educated decision about whether or not to participate.

Some of the possible benefits of joining a clinical trial include:

• Receive high-quality health care from expert physicians
• Gain access to new drugs that are not yet available to the public
• Help others and improve cancer treatment

Clinical trial participation may also involve the following drawbacks:

• Unanticipated side effects of new treatments
• New treatments may not be as effective as the best known treatment
• All patients enrolled in a clinical trial will receive the current standard of care for their type of cancer, but may or may not receive the new therapy being tested
• You may not know whether you are being given the new therapy being tested or the standard of care