There is a lot of misinformation surrounding clinical trials. Persistent myths about treatment through a clinical trial being dangerous make people hesitant to participate. But doing your research can help you sort the myths from the facts about clinical trials.
You never want to sign up for a clinical trial (or any treatment — whether it’s part of a trial or not) without doing your homework. You’ll want to ask your doctor lots of questions, talk to other patients if possible and do some thorough research using reputable sources.
If you have a medical condition that might benefit from experimental treatment — or if you are passionate about helping move the science of treatment forward — taking part in a clinical trial may be for you.
What is a clinical trial?
Before a new drug, therapy or treatment method is approved for widespread use, researchers need to test it. A clinical trial involves a series of carefully designed tests that compare the new intervention against a standard treatment or placebo (a substance or treatment with no therapeutic properties).
Researchers also use clinical trials to test methods for preventing diseases, diagnosing diseases or improving symptom management for people living with chronic conditions.
Myth: Clinical trials are a last resort
Many people decide to join a clinical trial as a way of possibly receiving experimental treatment when conventional treatment doesn’t work. But that’s not the only reason or the only type of clinical trial.
Every clinical trial is unique. Some use healthy volunteers. Others require people to meet specific criteria for the disease being researched. Some clinical trials use only those assigned female at birth or those assigned male at birth. Some use people only within a specific age range. Some test new treatments. Others look at things such as diet or lifestyle changes and their effect on disease prevention or treatment.
Myth: You’ll receive a placebo instead of a real treatment
Most clinical trials test a new treatment against the current standard of care — not a placebo. So if you joined a clinical trial testing a new cancer drug, you would receive either the experimental medication or standard chemotherapy.
Clinical trials are typically set up to be “blind,” meaning that neither you nor your doctor will know what treatment you’re receiving. You will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (the new treatment being tested) or the control group (receiving a placebo or standard treatment).
Myth: Clinical trials are dangerous
There is always some risk involved in receiving medical treatment — whether it’s a new or well-established therapy. But all clinical trials take precautions to reduce risk. And if participants experience any serious, negative effects, researchers will halt the trial.
Long before a clinical trial starts enrolling participants, it goes through many rounds of review by researchers and investigators. It must also be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) made up of doctors and scientists. The IRB not only approves trials before they start, but also continuously follows and reviews them to track the participants’ safety.
Data and Safety Monitoring Boards also closely follow all trials testing an experimental treatment. If, at any point during the trial, they think that the experimental treatment may be harming the participants, they have the authority to stop the trial.
Because most clinical trials are randomized, you won’t know if you’re getting the new treatment being tested. This does not impact the safety of your experience. People not receiving the experimental treatment will receive either the standard treatment or a placebo if there is currently no standard treatment. All participants, regardless of which treatment they’re getting, are carefully monitored throughout the trial.
Myth: Clinical trials only benefit the researchers
Joining a clinical trial may give you access to a new drug or therapy, but that isn’t the only potential benefit of participating.
Working with researchers who are on the leading edge of new prevention, diagnostic or treatment methods can help you learn more about your condition. Joining a clinical trial may also connect you with others experiencing similar health challenges.
But people do decide to participate in a clinical trial for reasons bigger than themselves and their own treatment. Being part of a clinical trial puts you front and center of scientific breakthroughs. Without volunteers willing to participate in trials, scientists wouldn’t be able to make progress. Without these clinical trials, there would be no way to test potentially life-saving treatments.
If you are considering joining a clinical trial, talk to your doctor about your options or check out clinical trials at UCLA Health. You can also search for available trials by going to .
