Find a possible match
Your diagnosis, subtype, biomarkers, treatment history, health, and location help narrow the search.
CLINICAL TRIALS, EXPLAINED
See what’s possible.
Stay in control of the choice.
A clinical trial may give you another care option while helping researchers learn. Asking about a trial does not commit you to joining one.
START WITH THE BASICS
A trial is a carefully planned research study involving people.
Cancer clinical trials test ways to prevent, find, treat, or manage cancer and its symptoms. Treatment trials may study a new medicine, a new combination, or a new way to use an existing treatment.
Every trial follows a written plan called a protocol. It explains who may join, what participants receive, which tests are needed, how often visits happen, and how safety is watched.
WHAT JOINING MAY LOOK LIKE
There are steps before treatment begins.
Each study is different, but most follow a path like this. You can ask questions at every step.
Review and consent
The team explains the study, alternatives, schedule, possible risks and benefits, privacy, and costs. You choose whether to sign.
Complete screening
Tests confirm whether you meet the eligibility rules. Being referred does not guarantee enrollment—and not qualifying is not your fault.
Participate and check in
If you enroll, the team gives the study care, monitors your health, shares new information, and answers questions.
PHASES AT A GLANCE
The phase tells you what researchers are trying to learn.
Phase is not the same as cancer stage. A person with stage 4 breast cancer could consider a study in any trial phase if its eligibility rules fit.
Safety and dose
Researchers learn how a treatment behaves in the body, what dose may be appropriate, and which side effects may happen.
Early signs of benefit
Researchers look more closely at whether the treatment may help people with a certain cancer and continue watching safety.
Compare approaches
A larger group may receive the study approach or the current standard treatment so researchers can compare results.
After approval
Researchers keep learning about long-term benefits, risks, and how an approved treatment works in broader use.
YOUR RIGHTS AS A PARTICIPANT
Consent is a conversation—not a promise you cannot take back.
Before you decide, you should receive information in language you can understand and have time to ask questions.
You can say no. Your decision should not take away the regular care available to you.
Signing a consent form does not sign away your rights. Ask how to stop safely if you choose to leave.
You may ask for clearer wording, an interpreter, more time, or a copy of the consent form to review.
If new information could affect your decision, the study team should explain it so you can decide whether to continue.
Ask how your health will be monitored, who reviews safety, and how your information will be protected.
The team should explain reasonable alternatives, including standard treatment and supportive care.
QUESTIONS TO TAKE WITH YOU
Make the practical details part of the decision.
You can bring a trusted person, take notes, and ask the team to explain unfamiliar words another way.
- 01What question is this study trying to answer?
- 02Why might I qualify—and what tests are needed to confirm that?
- 03What treatment might I receive, and is assignment randomized?
- 04How is this different from the standard treatment available to me?
- 05What are the possible benefits, risks, and unknowns?
- 06How often would I come in, and how long would each visit take?
- 07Which costs are covered by the study, my insurance, or me?
- 08What happens if the treatment does not help or I decide to stop?
FIND STUDIES THAT MAY FIT
Start with your details.
Then confirm with a study team.
Useful search details include your exact diagnosis, breast cancer subtype, biomarker results, previous treatments, current health, and how far you can travel. Online results are a starting point—not a final eligibility decision.
1. Save or print your pathology and biomarker results.2. Ask your oncologist which trial features matter for your search.3. Review locations, status, key eligibility rules, and contact details.
This page uses patient information from the National Cancer Institute and ClinicalTrials.gov. It is educational and does not replace advice from your oncology or study team.