What happens if I decide to leave the clinical trial before it is over?

If you withdraw from the clinical trial, your regular medical team will continue to care for you, and you will receive your routine care. However, if you leave the study due to side effects, you may need treatment for those side effects.

What happens after the clinical trial is over?

When a clinical trial ends, you will continue to receive your routine medical care from your regular medical team.

You may receive treatment for side effects from the clinical trial.

In some cases, you may continue to be monitored by the study team for follow-up tests and additional findings.

How do I share information about my clinical trial participation with my medical team?

You should receive a copy of the Informed Consent Form when you enrol in a clinical trial. This form will describe the clinical trial in detail. You can share this information with your medical team, family/friends/loved ones, etc.

How long will it take to know if the clinical trial has helped me?

Most clinical trials include a schedule of tests (for example, CT scans, blood tests, etc.) that will measure the results and/or efficacy of the intervention being tested.

Be sure to ask the study team for more information, including how they will measure the success of the trial.

Is there any way to know which treatment I received?

Typically, you will not know which group you were assigned to until the study is complete, or your participation in the study is complete. However, your group assignment may be identified if medically necessary.

What should I do if I think I’m experiencing long-term side effects from the clinical trial?

Speak with your medical team if you are experiencing long-term side effects

If my condition starts to improve during the clinical trial, can I stay on the treatment when it is over?

This will depend on the clinical trial and the intervention being studied. There are some reasons why you may not be able to receive the intervention after you are finished the clinical trial, including:

  • It may not be approved for use in Canada.
  • Your medical team may not think it is the best option for you.
  • You may determine that it is too expensive if not covered by any other source.

Ask the study team about your options.

What were the results of my clinical trial?

You can ask the study team to inform you of the results of the clinical trial after the trial is complete.

The clinical trial did not give me any benefits. Now what?

Speak with your medical team if you did not experience any benefits from your clinical trial. There may be other options or other clinical trials available to you.