Clinical Trials at MaineHealth

By Patricia Hager, MFA, and Cynthia Marcotte, RN

The Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 issues of Thrive included articles about clinical trials at the Maine Health Cancer Care Network (MHCCN). The Fall 2023 article was an overview of clinical trials; the Winter 2024 article looked at specific types of trials offered by MHCCN. This third installment in the series looks more specifically at what is involved in participating in a clinical trial and some questions to ask if you are considering participating in one.

As a potential clinical trial participant, you will meet with a nurse from the clinical trial research team and be given a consent form with information about your specific clinical trial. You will have time to discuss the clinical trial with your doctor and research team. Your cancer doctor and your research team will help guide you through this process to make sure you understand everything that is involved in the study before you agree to join.

The printed documents explaining the study are often long and have quite a bit of information about the clinical trial plan; they are designed to protect and advise you about the potential benefits and risks of participating in the study. This is why the study team and your doctor will meet with you and go over the contents of the documents and answer any questions you have. If, after having all your questions answered, you feel comfortable moving forward with the trial, you will sign the consent form. It is important to know that this consent is not a contract and that you may decide to leave the clinical trial at any time for any reason.

Here are some good questions a patient can ask:

• What is the treatment?

• What are these tests? Is that more than the standard of care?

• What are the potential risks, benefits, and side effects of participating in this clinical trial?

• How long will this clinical trial last?

• Where will this clinical trial take place?

• Will being enrolled in this study cost me anything?

• What happens if my health becomes worse while on this study?

• If I leave this clinical trial, with it affect my normal care?

• Is this a randomized clinical trial? If yes, what does that mean?

The research study team will answer these and any other questions you may have. It is important to remember that clinical trials follow all the ethical and legal requirements that apply to all medical practice. Participation is always voluntary, and you have the right to leave the trial at any time.

For more information about clinical trials, and to see a list of our open trials, please check out our website: For Patients – MHIR (mmcri.org)