Clinical trials

What is a clinical trial?

When the treatment plan is being written for a child, parents may be asked if they would like their child to take part in a clinical trial.

Clinical trials are research projects that aim to find better treatments for childhood cancer. Please note that any new drug used in a clinical trial will have been thoroughly tested beforehand and will have shown that it may be an improvement on the standard, or already used, treatment.

The aim of a trial

These trials test new treatments to see if they are more effective in treating cancer than the standard treatment available. They are often carried out in a number of hospitals and are co-ordinated by members of the CCLG. (Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group formally known as the United Kingdom Children’s Cancer Study Group)

As an example, one trial may consist of a group of children receiving the best known treatment available and another group receiving a new form, or combination of treatment. This treatment may or may not be better than the standard treatment available.

The trial is the last stage of testing and children involved in trails are not being used as “guinea-pigs” for something that is totally unknown. Previous tests will have shown that the drug may potentially be more effective than the standard treatment available.

“Better” or “more effective” in terms of a clinical trial can mean that the drug treats cancer successfully. It can also mean that the drug produces less side-effects.

Informed consent

Parents have to give their informed consent for their child to take part in a clinical trial - this means they need to understand what the trial is for and how their child will be involved.

All children on clinical trials are monitored closely during the trial and parents can they withdraw them at any time.

For further information about clinical trials, visit the website of the CCLG.