Consultation and research
If you are interested in participating in a clinical trial, the first thing you should do is consult your doctor. Once you and your doctor have decided that you would like to participate in a clinical trial, your doctor should send a referral to the specialist clinic.
Eligibility
You will need to be reviewed for your eligibility for a clinical trial. Each trial has its own set of requirements for people to be able to participate. These guidelines can include factors such as the size of a person’s tumour, the stage of their cancer or their general health.Your doctor will be asked to provide details about your and your condition. Clinical trials are scientific studies of new treatments and we need to make sure we are keeping as many factors as possible equal across all our participants. This preserves the accuracy of the trial and ensures the outcomes are as beneficial as possible for current and future patients.
After you have met with your specialist you will be asked to read and sign a Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form to allow you to be assessed for your eligibility to participate in a clinical trial. These are plain language documents that provide you with background information on the trial and outline the details of what is involved. Throughout your participation you are guaranteed a set of rights, including the right to withdraw at any point, and the right to maintain your anonymity.