Hematologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Finding a blood cancer clinical trial in India | CION Cancer Clinics
To find a blood cancer trial in India, start with your haematologist, then search the Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI) and ClinicalTrials.gov using your exact diagnosis. Most trials run at large cancer centres, and entry depends on your subtype, gene results, past treatment and recent tests. This page shows how to search, what to have ready, what to ask and which offers to avoid. At CION Cancer Clinics, our haematology team supports patients and families through treatment, cost questions and life at home.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Basudev PokhrelConsultant Haematologist · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Where are blood cancer trials in India listed?
- How do you search for a trial that might fit?
- What will a trial team ask to see?
- What do the words in a trial listing mean?
- What should you ask a trial team before signing?
- What do families get wrong when searching for a trial?
- Who might a trial not suit, and what can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about finding a blood cancer trial
The short answer
Where are blood cancer trials in India listed?
Every clinical trial run in India has to be registered on the Clinical Trials Registry of India, called CTRI, which is run under ICMR. Many international trials with Indian sites also appear on ClinicalTrials.gov. Your haematologist is still the most useful starting point, because they know your exact diagnosis and often know which centres are recruiting.
Why a search alone is rarely enough
A registry lists what exists. It cannot tell you whether you fit. Entry rules depend on your exact subtype, your gene results, the treatment you have already had and your recent blood tests. A trial that looks right by its title may exclude you on page three of its rules.
Where trials usually run
Most blood cancer trials in India run at large cancer centres and teaching hospitals, often in the bigger cities. That can mean travel from a Telangana or Andhra Pradesh district, so it helps to plan for that early.
Finding a trial takes time. Do not delay treatment your team has recommended while you search.Step by step
How do you search for a trial that might fit?
Get your exact diagnosis in writing
Ask for the full name of the blood cancer, its subtype and any gene or marker results. "Leukaemia" alone is too broad to search with.
Search CTRI
On the CTRI website, search by the name of your blood cancer. Look for trials marked as open to recruitment, and note the sites listed in or near your state.
Search ClinicalTrials.gov
Enter your condition and set the location to India. Filter for studies that are recruiting. Write down the study number of anything that looks close.
Take the list to your haematologist
Ask them to check the entry rules against your reports. If one fits, they can write to the trial doctor directly, which works far better than a cold call from the family.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistBefore you contact a centre
What will a trial team ask to see?
Having these ready saves weeks. Keep copies on paper and on your phone.
Diagnosis reports
The bone marrow or lymph node biopsy report, and the reports that name the subtype.
Often includes
- Flow cytometry, a test that sorts cells by their markers
- Cytogenetics and gene results
Treatment history
Every medicine you have had for this cancer, with dates, and how the cancer responded. Discharge summaries from other hospitals count.
Recent blood tests and scans
A recent complete blood count, kidney and liver tests, and any scans. Trials often set limits on these, so recent results matter.
Other health conditions
A list of your other illnesses and every medicine you take, including herbal or home remedies. These can decide whether you are eligible.
Reading a listing
What do the words in a trial listing mean?
- Recruitment status
- Whether the trial is taking new patients. "Not yet recruiting" and "completed" both mean you cannot join now.
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
- The rules on who can join and who cannot. Read these first.
- Principal investigator
- The doctor in charge of the trial at a particular site. This is the person your haematologist would contact.
- Sponsor
- The company, government body or institution that pays for and organises the trial.
- Phase
- How far the medicine has come in testing. Early phases focus on safety; later phases compare it with standard treatment.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Before you agree
What should you ask a trial team before signing?
A good trial team will welcome questions. Take a family member, write the answers down, and ask for the information sheet in a language you read comfortably.
About the treatment
What is being compared? Could you receive a dummy medicine? What would your treatment be if you did not join? What side effects are known so far?
About the practical side
How often must you visit, and for how long? Which costs does the sponsor pay, and which do you pay? Is travel or stay covered? Who do you call at night if you feel unwell?
About afterwards
What happens when the trial ends? Can you keep taking the medicine if it helps? Will you be told the results?
You can leave a trial at any time. Your doctors must keep treating you if you do.Commonly believed
What do families get wrong when searching for a trial?
"If we pay an agent, they can get us a trial place."
Trial places are decided by the entry rules and the trial doctor. Nobody can sell you a place. If someone asks for money to get you into a trial, do not pay, and tell your haematologist.
"A trial found online is available to anyone who asks."
Most trials take a very specific group of patients. Many listings online are closed, not yet open, or open only at centres outside India. Your haematologist can check quickly.
"A clinic advertising a new blood cancer treatment is running a trial."
A real trial is registered, approved by an ethics committee and does not charge you for the trial medicine. Ask for the CTRI number. If there is none, it is not a registered trial.
"Asking about trials will offend our doctor."
Haematologists are used to this question. Asking early gives them time to look, and it does not change the care you receive.
Being straight with you
Who might a trial not suit, and what can this page not tell you?
This page cannot tell you whether a trial is open for your blood cancer today, or whether you would qualify. Listings change often, and only a doctor reading your full reports can judge fit.
When a trial may not be the right step
A trial may not suit you if a proven standard treatment is working well, if you are too unwell to travel for frequent visits, or if you have serious heart, kidney or liver problems. It may also not suit a family who cannot manage long stays away from home. Choosing standard care is a sound decision.
How CION can help
CION does not run blood cancer trials. Our haematology team reviews your reports, discusses your case at a tumour board and tells you whether a trial is worth pursuing. Where it is, we help you prepare the papers and approach qualified trial centres.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about finding a blood cancer trial
Is there one website that lists every trial in India?
CTRI is the official registry, and trials run in India are required to be registered there. ClinicalTrials.gov is useful for international studies with Indian sites. Neither tells you whether a trial is still actively enrolling at a particular hospital today, so a call from your doctor to the site is still needed.
Can I contact a trial centre myself?
You can, and the listing often gives a contact. In practice, a letter or call from your haematologist with your reports attached gets a faster and clearer answer. The trial doctor needs medical details a family member may not have to hand.
Are there trials for thalassaemia or sickle cell disease too?
Yes. Trials are not only for blood cancers. Studies in India have looked at gene-based treatments and new medicines for inherited blood disorders. Search CTRI with the condition's name, and ask your haematologist whether any fit your situation.
Will joining a trial delay my treatment?
Screening tests before a trial can take some time. For fast-growing blood cancers, your doctor may advise starting standard treatment first. Some trials accept people who have already begun. Ask how long screening usually takes before you decide.
Do trials accept older patients?
Many do. Some trials are designed specifically for older adults who cannot have intensive treatment. Age limits, if any, are written in the entry rules. General fitness and other illnesses often matter more than age itself.
Does Aarogyasri or insurance cover a trial?
The sponsor usually pays for the trial medicine and trial-only tests. Routine care, travel and stay may fall to you. Aarogyasri, PM-JAY, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and insurance rules for trial patients vary, and they change, so check the current rules with the scheme and the trial team before you start.
What if the trial is in another state?
Ask how often you need to be there in person and whether any visits can be done closer to home. Some sponsors help with travel or stay. Plan who will go with you, because early visits can be long and tiring.
What if no trial fits right now?
That is common, and it does not mean there is nothing to do. Standard treatment remains the main path for most people. New trials open often, so ask your haematologist to check again at your next change in treatment. Access programmes may also be worth asking about.
Your Haematologist
Meet CION's haematologist. One specialist for your blood report and your plan.
Dr. Basudev Pokhrel reviews blood counts, transfusion needs and blood disorders, and works with the CION tumour board on blood cancers.
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Sources
- ICMR — Clinical Trials Registry - India
- National Cancer Institute — Clinical Trials Information for Patients and Caregivers
- Cancer.Net — Clinical trials
- NHS — Clinical trials
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Why Haematology Has So Many TrialsWhy blood cancers are studied so widelyCosts Covered and Not Covered in a TrialWhat the sponsor pays and what you may still payTravelling for a Haematology TrialPlanning visits to a centre far from homeWill I Get a Placebo in a Blood Cancer TrialWhat dummy medicines and randomisation meanAccess Programmes and Compassionate UseOther routes to a new medicine when no trial fits
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Want help checking whether a trial fits?
Share your reports with us. Our haematology team will review them, tell you whether a trial is worth pursuing and help you approach the right centre.