A clinical trial is a type of research study that tests new medicines, treatments, or approaches to care. The goal is to find out if they are safe and effective for people.

Each trial has specific rules called “eligibility criteria.” These might include age, type of condition, stage of illness, or previous treatments.  These criteria can be very detailed, meaning that even if a trial looks suitable for you on the face of it, you may not be able to take part due to some specific inclusion or exclusion criteria.  Clinical trials also sometimes limit access to patients from particular locations and/or are open to a limited number of patients.

Most trials are free to take part in. The study team usually covers the cost of the treatment being tested. Sometimes travel expenses may also be reimbursed.

There is a wide range of publicly available data about clinical trials, which are often not reliable or up-to-date.  By maintaining our own trials database, focusing specifically on treatment trials,  drawn from a number of UK and international trial databases, RareCan provides its Personalise members rapid access to a high quality, curated trials resource.  As a RareCan Personalise member you can let our expert team do the heavy lifting of reviewing the complex criteria of trials and creating a short-list of trials that might be options for you. The RareCan team will then support you and your clinical team to review the options and make referrals as appropriate.  As things change, either in your  treatment and disease progression, or in terms of the available trials, your report will be periodically updated as part of your RareCan Personalise membership.

Clinical trials are normally only considered as a treatment option when there is no ‘standard of care’ treatment available to you. This might be when you are first diagnosed, particularly if you are diagnosed at a later stage of cancer, but is more normally after you have received available ‘standard of care’ treatment(s).

No.  RareCan helps you find information about potentially suitable trials. You should always talk to your clinical team about whether any of the trials identified might be suitable, and your doctor will make a referral if appropriate.  The trial team will then talk you through the trial in detail before you decide whether you would like to join or not.  You will then go through detailed screening to see if you are suitable for the trial.  Whether you join a trial is always your choice.

Not always. Some trials randomly assign participants to receive either the new treatment or the best available standard treatment. This helps researchers make fair comparisons.

Trials follow strict rules to protect participants. Safety is closely monitored, but all treatments can have risks. The research team will explain these clearly before you decide.

No. As part of the Clinical Trial Service, we will work alongside you and your clinical team to try to find clinical trials that might be suitable treatment options for you.  However, we can’t guarantee that there will be a suitable trial, or that you will end up participating in potentially suitable trials identified.  This is because clinical trials typically have very detailed criteria, some of which can only be assessed as part of the process of being screened at a trial site before a decision is made about your suitability for the trial.  Some trials also restrict the number of patients they enroll, so even if you meet the criteria it is not guaranteed you will be enrolled in a trial.

No. At RareCan we are focused on helping you find treatment options in the UK.  We will be extending the service to residents of other countries soon, and will start offering reports that include international trials in due course, but currently we are focused on providing high quality, personalised information about treatment trials in the UK only.

Not every trial. Our reports focus on treatment trials and aim to highlight the most relevant options for you. There isn’t a single perfect, complete source of trial information, so while we work hard to keep our database up to date, it may not include every possible trial. Our reports are designed to support you and your clinical team in exploring potential next treatment options, but they should not be seen as a complete list.