Cancer FAQs

Yes, the decision to participate in a clinical trial is totally personal and voluntary.

Participants are not charged for the treatment received during the clinical trial. However, depending on the trial sponsor, you may or may not be reimbursed for travel and accommodations expenses incurred. All this information will be provided before starting the study.

Trial protocols must be approved by the AEMPS (Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Products) and drug research ethics committees, which ensure patient safety.

Patients’ rights, safety and wellbeing are always the top priority and your data will be completely confidential.

It can be due to two cases:

The trial is aimed at more than one type of cancer. For example, there are trials aimed at treating gastric and colorectal tumors, in this case it would be defined as a study for several types.
It is a “basket” type clinical trial directed at a genetic mutation. In this type of trial, the drugs seek to attack a specific mutation and not a specific type of tumor. Therefore, people who have different tumors with the same mutation can apply.

Cancer clinical trials can last years, depending on the study protocol and how it progresses.

The number of appointments necessary to complete a clinical trial depends on the treatment. The researcher will give you this information after you have been selected.

Clinical trial sponsors tend to be pharmaceutical companies, hospitals or even independent doctors with their own research division.

We use the location to show you the closest hospitals. If you don’t want to enter it, the location of your mobile device will be used.

Yes, all your diagnoses are saved in your profile and you can go into them whenever you need change them. Launch the app and go to your “Profile” and then “Diagnoses”.

We need to compare your diagnosis data with the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the more than 800 clinical trials in our database. Therefore, the application will take a few minutes to show you the result. You will receive a notification when the search process is complete and we have found the trials related to your diagnosis.

No, you can withdraw at any time during the process.

If you can’t make any of the proposed appointment times, you can request another option. Or, you can always contact us and we’ll get you an appointment that suits your schedule.

No problem. Just contact us and we’ll reschedule for you.

After you set up your appointment, you’ll get an email with everything you need to know when you go in.

It is a way to validate and check that it isn’t a fake user. Plus, that way we will be able to contact you if something important comes up.

We need your personal data to set up your profile and, if you decide to participate in a trial, for the medical centre to contact you.

You can delete your account any time from your profile or by contacting customer service.

You can get a reminder of your username and password on the start page of the app. If you have any problems, contact customer service.

You can contact us by email at info@matchtrial.health or phone on +34 93 160 00 48.

A clinical trial is the basis for developing a new drug that can later be commercialised or administered to patients diagnosed with that disease in the future. To do so, a study is conducted with volunteers who help scientists discover new therapies and play an active part in scientific research.

Clinical trials can last several years and have various phases.

Inclusion criteria are the factors a patient must have to qualify for the trial. For example, inclusion criteria can include sex, age, having a certain disease or specific test results.

Exclusion criteria are the factors that disqualify a patient from participating in the study. For example, depending on the trial requirements, exclusion criteria can include sex, age, type or phase of the disease and having or not having other diseases.

Screening is a series of tests done before starting the study to make sure patients meet all the established inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria. If you meet all the criteria, the process will continue.

A placebo is a substance without any pharmacological effect that is used as a control to compare the molecule being studied against. Not all clinical trials use them and they are rare in cancer trials. However, in other types of clinical trials they can be used to prove the efficacy of the treatment studied.

The lymph nodes are responsible for transporting lymph, a fluid that contains lymphocytes, responsible for the immune response. They are distributed throughout the body, although they abound in specific areas such as the armpits, groin, neck and abdomen. When the tumor begins to spread, it often affects nearby lymph nodes, known as lymph node involvement.

Comorbidities are one or more additional conditions a person may have that could interfere with the disease the study focuses on, in this case cancer.

A mutation is an alteration in the DNA sequence that normally occurs spontaneously. However, it can also be induced by mutagenic factors such as radiation, some chemical substances or viruses. In most cases, mutations are neutral, so they have no effect on the individual survival or reproduction.  In other cases, mutations can cause changes in genes that alter the normal functioning of the body, leading to diseases such as cancer.