Did you know more than 28,000 people participated in clinical trials last year¹?
Cancer Clinical Trial for Patients
Find the most novel cancer treatments in the research phase
MatchTrial: all the cancer clinical trials for patients on one mobile app. Enter your diagnosis and the app will match you to the best clinical trials for your condition.
Download MatchTrial, enter your diagnosis and we’ll show you which cancer trials are available easily and simply. You’ll have to answer some questions to help us find the trials looking for patients with your condition. To do so, we recommend having all the necessary information handy, as well as your diagnosis and latest test results.
We connect patients with international clinical research. Sharing knowledge is key for science to keep advancing.
¹BDMetrics. Data from 20 December 2019.
What is a Cancer Clinical Trial?
Right now, there are over 1,800 cancer drugs and therapies being developed by the pharmaceutical industry¹.
Clinical trials are an essential part of our health system, allowing us to find more effective and/or safer treatments than those currently in use.
A clinical trial is a research study that is conducted on people to find out how a new treatment works on a disease in a safe, controlled environment. It is used to learn whether a treatment is effective, which dose is most beneficial to patients and whether there are side effects.
¹ El valor del medicamento en oncología. FarmaIndustria, 2017.
Why should I participate in a cancer clinical trial?
Some of the benefits of clinical trial participation are:
- Being an active part of scientific progress.
- Having the chance to receive innovative treatment.
- Gaining access to drugs not available through other channels or means.
- Being monitored more closely during the study.
MatchTrial does not guarantee, under any circumstances, that patients will be admitted to the clinical trials. This decision is exclusively in the hands of the researchers based on the criteria required and the patient profile.
Phases of cancer clinical trials
A clinical trial has different stages of development, which we call phases. Each phase aims to address a series of issues. The phase indicates what is known about the treatment that the trial is studying.
PHASE
1
Researchers test a new drug or treatment on a small group of people (20-80) for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
PHASE
2
The study drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people (100-300) to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
PHASE
3
The study drug or treatment is given to large groups of people (1,000-3,000) to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
PHASE
4
Studies look at real-world experience over a long time and provide additional information on the drug’s risks, benefits, and optimal use.
(Adapted from lillytrialguide.com)
What Types of Cancer Clinical Trials are there?
There are different types of cancer clinical trials, depending on their purpose:
- Treatment trials. Treatment trials are designed to find new cancer treatments that are more effective than those currently in use.
- Screening trials. Screening trials are used to assess new diagnostic processes to detect a disease.
- Prevention trials. Prevention trials study people who don’t have cancer but have a high risk of developing the disease, in order to try to prevent it.
- Quality of Life trials. Quality of Life trials aim to improve quality of life for patients receiving a certain treatment. One of the purposes of these studies is to reduce the side effects of a cancer treatment.
Patient participation in clinical trials is higher in Spain than any other country in Europe.
BDMetrics, Proyecto Best, April 2018.
What do I need to know before joining a clinical trial?
The decision to participate in a clinical trial is always voluntary and exclusively in the hands of the patient. It is important to understand that this is the case at any stage of the trial. If, for any reason, you decide you no longer want to take part in the trial, you can always withdraw. However, it is important to follow medical advice from experts in the treatment.
All the information on the clinical trial you are going to participate in will be shared with you transparently by the researcher, who you can ask any questions you want.
To participate in a clinical trial, you must meet a series of specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria are the factors a patient must have to qualify for the trial. Exclusion criteria are the factors that disqualify a patient from participating in the study. These may be factors like gender, age range, having a disease, etc.
Screening is a series of tests done before starting the study to make sure patients meet all the established criteria.
Why is Informed Consent important?
Informed consent is the process that ensures participants in clinical trials are aware of their rights and understand their commitment to the study.
After the screening phase, patients meet with a member of the research team who will provide all the information they need, answer any questions, etc.
At this meeting, the participant will be given an Informed Consent form. It describes the purpose, length, tests, benefits and risks involved in the clinical trial, as well as information on how the study is being funded, sponsors and other details.
By signing the Informed consent document, the patient is confirming that they understand the trial and expressing their desire to participate. However, patients have the right to withdraw from the trial at any time.
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