Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Clinical Trials

Here are some questions to ask your doctor to help you determine if a clinical trial is right for you. 

• What is the objective of the trial? 
• What phase is the clinical trial? 
• Why would the clinical trial treatment be better than the standard of care—or any other treatment option to treat my tumor? 
• What are the criteria to determine if I am eligible for the trial?  
• How long do I have to decide whether I want to participate in a clinical trial? 
• How does the clinical trial treatment work to treat my brain or spine tumor? 
• If the clinical trial is a drug therapy, how is the drug given (orally or intravenously)? 
• How long is the treatment given?  
• How often do I have to be seen in the clinic or hospital as part of the trial? 
• Can I be part of the clinical trial at a location closer to my home?  
• What procedures are required as part of the clinical trial?  
• How do you evaluate if the treatment is working?  
• How often do you evaluate if the treatment is working? 
• How often would I need to have imaging, and would this be part of the trial evaluation? 
• What are the known side effects? 
• How are side effects managed? 
• Are there other health risks associated with participating in the trial? 
• How will I be informed of the results? 
• If the treatment isn’t working, can I stop the trial? 
• Can I stop participating in the trial at any point I choose? 
• How could the trial affect my daily life? 
• Will the clinical trial require rehabilitation services, such as speech therapy or physical therapy?  
• What are the costs to me for participating in this trial? 
• If I want a second opinion, whom would you recommend I see? 

We encourage you to print these questions and bring them with you to your appointment.