Busting the Top 4 Myths About Clinical Trials

Breakthrough cancer treatments are born from clinical trials. Trials give patients early access to treatments that could one day become the standard of care. Yet many people are reluctant to enroll in these crucial scientific studies.

Delilah Hernandez

Research published in the Journal of the National Medical Association found that 65% of respondents were hesitant about clinical trial enrollment. That hesitancy was even more pronounced in people who had less understanding of how to make informed health care decisions.

At Moffitt Cancer Center, health educators in the ACT WONDER²S research initiative are aiming to change that. They travel to counties across Florida to host educational sessions where they provide straightforward information on what clinical trials are and why participation from all communities is important. In particular, they confront the common myths about clinical trials head-on, arming people with the information they need to make important health decisions.

Here, health educator Delilah Hernandez dispels some of the common myths people believe about clinical trials:

Myth No. 1: ‘The Sugar Pill’

Myth: Participants are given a placebo or “sugar pill.”

Reality: For cancer treatment clinical trials, a placebo is rarely to never used. All participants get at least the typical treatment or standard of care. If placebos are used, it is likely because no standard treatment exists.

Myth No. 2: The Last Resort

Myth: Participation in clinical trials is offered only when no other treatment has worked.

Reality: Participation may be offered to those at risk of developing cancer or at any stage of disease or treatment. There are several types of clinical trials that focus on different goals, such as:

• Prevention trials identify people at increased risk for disease and ways to reduce risk.
• Screening trials look for new ways to find disease early, when it may be more easily treated.
• Quality of life or supportive care trials develop plans to improve the comfort and well-being of people with illness or disease.
• Treatment trials use new treatments or existing treatments in new ways.

Myth No. 3: No Way Out

Myth: Once people begin participation in a clinical trial, they have to stay in the study until it is complete.

Reality: Participation is always voluntary. Participants can leave a study at any time and for any reason. If participants are actively taking an investigational drug, they should speak with the health care team to withdraw from the study safely. It is important to note that choosing to not participate in a study or choosing to withdraw from a study should not hinder the quality of care received from the health care team.

Participants may choose to withdraw from a study for various reasons, including disease progression, side effects, or other logistical or personal reasons.

Myth No. 4: ‘Guinea Pigs’

Myth: Participants in clinical trials are treated as “guinea pigs” and are not in control of their care.

Reality: Clinical trials are closely monitored and have rules to ensure that participants are safe and receive appropriate care. Participants are more like pioneers. They are the first to experience new groundbreaking science and pave the way for other patients, doctors and researchers. All approved drugs must be tested in clinical trials before getting approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Patients and their care teams decide together about whether a clinical trial is the best option for them, and patients are always in control of their treatment.