Medical Oncologist
Clinical Trials & Access Programs
What Is a Clinical Trial — and Should You Join One?
The two things that stop most families from considering a trial are the fear of getting a placebo and the fear of extra costs. Both are worth addressing directly before you decide.
Medically reviewed by Dr. T. Raghavender Reddy, Medical Oncologist, MBBS · DM (Medical Oncology) · MD (Radiation Oncology) · Last reviewed August 2026
- Not placebo vs. nothing — Most cancer trials compare a new treatment against the current standard of care — not against an empty injection.
- Voluntary and reversible — You sign consent before anything begins and can withdraw at any time without it affecting your access to treatment.
- The drug is usually free — The trial sponsor typically provides the experimental treatment at no cost. Ask specifically about all other expenses.
- More monitoring, not less — Trial participants are usually seen more often than patients on standard care — not less closely.
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Most cancer trials in India do not give a placebo alone — you receive either the new treatment or the current best standard of care. Participating is voluntary, you can withdraw at any time, and the experimental drug is usually provided free. Whether a trial is right for you depends on your cancer type, stage, and which trials are currently open.
How does joining a clinical trial actually work?
Your oncologist checks whether a trial matches your situation
Trials have strict inclusion criteria — cancer type, stage, prior treatments, and general fitness. Your oncologist checks these against open trials registered with the Clinical Trials Registry India (CTRI). Not every patient will have a matching trial available.
You receive a full information sheet and time to read it
Before you are asked to decide anything, you are given a patient information sheet in a language you understand. You are entitled to ask questions and to take time — days if you need them — before deciding.
You sign an Informed Consent Document
CDSCO requires written informed consent before any trial procedure begins. Signing means you understand what you are agreeing to — not that you are locked in. You can withdraw at any point after this.
You are assigned to a treatment group
In randomised trials, assignment is done by chance, not by choice. In most cancer trials the control group receives the current standard treatment, not a placebo. The information sheet will state exactly what each group receives before you sign.
You attend scheduled visits and are monitored closely
Trial participants are usually seen more frequently than patients on standard care. Blood tests, scans, and questionnaires track how you are responding and watch for any early signs of problems.
You can withdraw at any point
Leaving a trial does not affect your right to treatment. Your oncologist will discuss what comes next and move you to the best available standard care.
Will you get a placebo and miss your real treatment?
In cancer trials, a placebo alone is almost never used as the control. ASCO and ICMR ethics guidance does not permit withholding effective treatment from participants when one already exists.
If a trial has two groups, the control group receives the current best available treatment. The new treatment is being tested against that standard — not against nothing.
Before you sign consent, the information sheet must state exactly what each group receives. If anything is unclear, ask your team to explain it in plain language before you decide.
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What questions should you ask before joining a trial?
- What does the control group receive — the current standard treatment or a placebo?
- What are the chances of being assigned to each group?
- Is the experimental drug provided free? What other costs will I have?
- How many extra visits will I need, and will travel costs be covered?
- Can I leave the trial if my cancer is not responding?
- Who do I contact if I have a side effect between visits?
- Will I be told which group I was in once the trial ends?
- Will the overall results be shared with me when they are published?
Will joining a trial cost you more money?
The experimental treatment itself is almost always provided free by the trial sponsor. For newer treatments not yet approved in India, trial participation may be the only way to access them at all.
What may not be covered varies by trial — additional monitoring tests, travel to the trial centre, and hospital costs outside the protocol. Ask your trial coordinator to go through every potential expense before you sign.
If you are weighing costs, ask what the same treatment would cost outside a trial. That comparison is often the clearest way to see whether the trial is financially better, worse, or similar to your current path.
Did you know?
Every clinical trial in India must be registered with the Clinical Trials Registry India (CTRI) and approved by an accredited Independent Ethics Committee before it can enrol a single participant.
These are not internal checks run by the sponsor — they are regulatory requirements enforced by CDSCO. If a trial is not registered on CTRI, do not join it.
Source: CDSCO Schedule Y, Drugs and Cosmetics Act; ICMR National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is a clinical trial just an experiment that uses patients as guinea pigs?
A clinical trial is not an experiment without oversight — every trial in India requires approval from an Independent Ethics Committee and registration with CTRI before it can begin. Informed consent is mandatory: you receive a plain-language explanation, have time to ask questions, and sign before anything starts. The ethics committee's role is to ensure that the risks to participants are proportionate to the potential benefit. These protections are legally required under CDSCO oversight, not left to the sponsor's discretion.
What if my cancer gets worse while I am on a trial?
Trials have predefined rules for when a participant should be taken off the trial treatment. If your cancer is not responding or your side effects are unacceptable, the protocol specifies that you come off — you are not kept on a failing treatment just to complete the study. Once you leave, your oncologist discusses what comes next from the standard options available to you. Joining a trial does not close off other treatments.
Can I join a trial and also continue my current treatment?
It depends on the trial protocol. Some trials allow or require that you continue certain treatments alongside the experimental one. Others require that you have stopped previous treatment before enrolling. The eligibility criteria — which you receive before you sign anything — will state this clearly. If you are not sure, ask the trial coordinator to explain which of your current treatments are compatible with the trial before you commit.
How do I find out if there is a trial for my cancer type?
Ask your oncologist first — they are best placed to match your diagnosis, stage, and prior treatment history against what is currently open. The Clinical Trials Registry India (CTRI) lists all registered trials in India and is publicly searchable online. CION's team can also check what is open across the network. Not every cancer type will have a relevant trial open at any given time, and being told there is no current match is not a sign that trials are unavailable in general.
Will I be told the results of the trial once it ends?
You can ask, and you should ask before you join. ICMR guidelines encourage that participants be informed of trial outcomes, and many sponsors provide a summary once the study closes. Some trials also notify participants of which group they were in once the blinding is lifted. This is not uniformly guaranteed, so ask specifically: whether you will be told your group assignment, and whether the overall results will be shared with you when they are published.