Understanding cancer clinical trials
Thinking about a trial? Understand your options before you decide.
Perhaps your team has mentioned a trial, or you’ve read about one and wondered if it could be for you. The information can be complicated, the decision feels big, and appointments rarely leave time to ask everything.
Before I worked privately, I spent years as an oncology research nurse, looking after people taking part in clinical trials. I can help you understand what a trial involves, so you can make the choice that’s right for you, with your hospital team.
How I help
- Explaining how clinical trials work, in plain language
- Helping you read and understand a trial’s patient information sheet
- Preparing questions for your team about whether a trial could suit you
- Showing you where to look for trials, and how to talk to your team about them
- Supporting you, and your family, while you decide, and if you take part
Questions worth asking about any trial
- What is this trial testing, and how is it different from my usual treatment?
- What would taking part involve: extra visits, tests or travel?
- What are the possible benefits and risks for me?
- What happens if I change my mind? (You can usually leave a trial at any time.)
Where to look
- Your hospital team — always the best place to start
- Be Part of Research — bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk — the NHS-backed research database
- Cancer Research UK’s trial finder — cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/find-a-clinical-trial
I don’t recruit people to trials or recommend specific trials. I help you understand your options, so you can decide with your hospital team.
What changes: you understand what a trial would mean for you, and feel confident asking the right questions.
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From Rachel’s Reflections
Written by a specialist gynae cancer nurse
Rachel Mugnai
I'm Rachel Mugnai, an NMC-registered Specialist Cancer Nurse and former gynae-oncology clinical nurse specialist with more than 25 years of oncology nursing experience, including years as a research nurse.
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