Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Your rights in a liver cancer clinical trial in India | CION Cancer Clinics
In a clinical trial you have the right to understand it fully, to take time, to say no and to leave at any point without losing standard care. If the trial harms you, you have the right to medical care for that harm. This page explains how consent should be taken, who protects participants in India, and where to go if something feels wrong. It informs; it does not recruit. At CION Cancer Clinics, a multidisciplinary tumour board weighs your liver function and your scans before recommending any treatment.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- What rights do I have if I am offered a liver cancer trial?
- What can I insist on, before and during a trial?
- How is consent supposed to be taken?
- Who protects participants, and what does each one do?
- What families often fear about trials, and what is true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about rights in a trial
The short answer
What rights do I have if I am offered a liver cancer trial?
You have the right to understand the trial fully, to take time to decide, to say no, and to leave at any point without losing your normal treatment. If the trial harms you, you have the right to medical care for that harm. These rights apply whether you are in a large city hospital or travelling in from a district.
Where these rights come from
India regulates clinical trials through national rules for new drugs and clinical trials, and through ethical guidelines for research on people. Every trial must be approved by an ethics committee before it starts, and should be listed on the Clinical Trials Registry of India. Your consent form is the document where your rights are written down for your trial.
Why this matters more in liver cancer
Liver cancer is a fast-moving area of research, and families are often offered a trial at a frightening moment. Liver disease itself can sometimes cause confusion, which affects how consent is taken. Knowing your rights before the conversation makes it easier to ask the questions that matter.
This page is general information, not legal advice, and it is not an invitation to join any trial.Your core rights
What can I insist on, before and during a trial?
These rights belong to you, not to the trial. Nobody can ask you to give them up.
To understand
The purpose of the trial, what will be done to you, the possible risks and benefits, and the other treatments you could choose instead.
- A consent form in a language you read
- Answers in plain words, not jargon
- A signed copy to take home
To decide freely
Time to think, talk to your family and get a second opinion. No pressure, no promises of better care for saying yes, and no threat of worse care for saying no.
To leave
You can withdraw at any time, without giving a reason. Your doctors must then offer you standard treatment as they would anyone else.
To be protected
Privacy of your records, news of anything that might change your mind, medical care if the trial harms you, and a way to complain to someone outside the trial team.
The ethics committee's contact details should be on your consent form.Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistInformed consent
How is consent supposed to be taken?
A full explanation first
A member of the trial team explains the study, ideally with a family member present. You should be able to repeat back, in your own words, what the trial involves.
Time to read and ask
You take the consent form home if you want to. Write down your questions. A good trial team expects them and does not rush you.
Signing, with a witness where needed
If you cannot read, an impartial witness must be present. In some situations Indian rules also require the consent conversation to be recorded on video.
A copy for you
You keep a signed copy. It is your record of what was promised, including who pays for what.
Consent continues
If new information appears during the trial, you must be told and may be asked to consent again. Consent is not a single signature you can never revisit.
Who is on your side
Who protects participants, and what does each one do?
- Ethics committee
- An independent group of doctors, scientists and lay members that approves the trial, watches it and hears complaints from participants.
- Principal investigator
- The doctor in charge of the trial at your hospital. Your safety during the study is this doctor's responsibility.
- Legally acceptable representative
- A person allowed to consent for someone who cannot decide for themselves at that moment. They must act in the patient's interest.
- Impartial witness
- Someone not linked to the trial who watches the consent process when the participant cannot read the form.
- Your own oncologist
- A doctor outside the trial who can give you an independent view of whether it suits you.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Commonly believed
What families often fear about trials, and what is true
"Once I sign, I cannot back out."
You can leave at any time, for any reason, or for no reason. Your doctors may ask you to come back for a safety check, but they cannot keep you in the study.
"If I say no, the doctor will not treat me properly."
Refusing a trial must not change the standard care you are offered. If you feel it has, tell the ethics committee or seek a second opinion.
"Trial patients are used as guinea pigs."
Trials are approved and monitored by independent committees, and every participant has written rights. That does not make trials risk-free, which is why the risks must be explained before you sign.
"The family can sign for the patient without telling them."
A representative can consent only when the patient cannot decide at that moment, such as during confusion from liver disease. When the patient recovers, they should be told and asked for their own consent.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether a particular trial is ethical, safe or right for you. The ethics committee judges the first, the trial team explains the second, and the third depends on your tumour, your liver function and what standard treatment can offer you. Our page on whether to join a trial walks through that decision, and our list of questions to ask before joining helps in the room.
Who this does not apply to
This page is about formal clinical trials. It does not cover a doctor trying a medicine off-label outside a study, or herbal and "research" products sold directly to families. Those come with none of the protections described here. It is also not legal advice. For a legal dispute, ask the ethics committee first and then a lawyer.
Where an independent view helps
CION's medical oncologists can read a trial's consent form with you and explain what it asks of you, as a separate view from the trial team. Who pays during a study is covered on our page about who pays in a trial.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about rights in a trial
Can I leave a trial after I have started?
Yes, at any time and without giving a reason. Tell the trial doctor so they can arrange a safe stop and any safety tests. Your doctors must then continue your care with standard treatment, in the same way they would for anyone else.
Can I get the consent form in Telugu?
You have the right to a consent form and an explanation in a language you understand. Ask for Telugu if that is what you read best. If it is not available, ask for a translator, and do not sign until you understand what you are agreeing to.
What if my father is too confused to decide?
Confusion from liver disease can come and go. A legally acceptable representative may consent while he cannot decide, but must act in his interest. When he is clearer, he should be told about the trial and asked for his own consent.
Will my medical records be kept private?
Your identity should be protected. Trial records are usually coded rather than named. The sponsor, the ethics committee and regulators may look at your records to check the trial is run properly. The consent form should explain who can see what.
What happens if the trial harms me?
Indian rules require the sponsor to pay for the medical care of an injury caused by the trial, and compensation may also be owed. Tell the trial team at once, keep every bill and report, and contact the ethics committee if you are not satisfied.
Will I be told if the trial finds something new?
You should be told of any new information that might change your wish to stay in the trial, such as a new safety concern. You may be asked to sign a fresh consent. Ask how and when results will be shared once the trial ends.
Who do I complain to?
Start with the trial doctor. If that does not help, contact the ethics committee named on your consent form. It is independent of the trial team. For serious concerns, a lawyer can advise on the next step.
Can I ask another doctor before I sign?
Yes, and it is a sensible thing to do. A good trial team will give you time for it. Bring the consent form and your scan and blood reports to the second doctor so they can see exactly what is being offered.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's liver cancer specialists. Bring your scan reports and liver blood tests.
Our medical and surgical oncologists plan liver cancer care together, weighing the tumour and how well your liver works before choosing surgery, a liver-directed procedure or medicines.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — What Are Clinical Trials?
- American Cancer Society — Clinical Trials
- Clinical Trials Registry - India — Clinical Trials Registry - India
- MedlinePlus — 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
Who pays in a clinical trial?What the sponsor covers and what you may still payQuestions to ask before joining a trialA checklist to take to the trial teamShould I join a liver cancer trial?Weighing a trial against standard treatmentAre clinical trials safe in India?How trials are regulated and monitored
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Want an independent read of a trial consent form?
Bring the form and your reports, and a CION medical oncologist will explain what it asks of you and what your options are. One helpline serves every CION centre.