Am I a Good Fit for a Cancer Clinical Trial?

A clinical trial is the study of a new drug, procedure, treatment, or combination of these interventions, which may lead to improved therapies or protocols for fighting cancer.

Research suggests more and more people are participating in cancer clinical trials, but fear, financial and logistical challenges, and misconceptions around clinical trials continue to be barriers to participation.

If you’re interested in the possibility of participating in a trial, but aren’t sure if you’d be a good fit or how to initiate the conversation with your oncologist, you’re not alone. Another reason people living with cancer aren’t always looped into clinical trials is a lack of communication with their healthcare providers.

“Oncology clinical trials are different from what people might think,” says Douglas Marks, MD, a medical oncologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City and medical director of the clinical trials office at Perlmutter Cancer Center in Mineola, New York. “This is how we advance the field, but they are designed with the purpose of benefiting patients in real time. There is a role for clinical trials in many situations, disease courses, and types.”

Wondering if a clinical trial could fit into your treatment plan and whether to bring it up with your healthcare provider? Take this assessment to find out. For each question, choose the answer that best aligns with your experiences.

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Resources

Understanding Your Options for Cancer Treatment. American Cancer Society. July 24, 2025.
Unger JM et al. National Estimates of the Participation of Patients With Cancer in Clinical Research Studies Based on Commission on Cancer Accreditation Data. Journal of Clinical Oncology. June 20, 2024.
Ebrahimi H et al. Barriers to Clinical Trial Implementation Among Community Care Centers. JAMA Network Open. April 2024.

Additional Sources

Why Should I Consider a Clinical Trial? National Comprehensive Cancer Network. 2025
Clinical Trials Data and Safety Monitoring Boards. National Institutes of Health.
Things to Consider Before Taking Part in a Clinical Trial. American Cancer Society. June 3, 2025.
Kirkwood MK et al. State of Geographic Access to Cancer Treatment Trials in the United States: Are Studies Located Where Patients Live? JCO Oncology Practice. March 2025.
Clinical Trial Participation Among US Adults. National Cancer Institute Division of Cancer Control & Population Sciences. June 2022.
Unger JM et al. Association of Patient Comorbid Conditions With Cancer Clinical Trial Participation. JAMA Oncology. March 2019.
Williams CP et al. Understanding the Financial Cost of Cancer Clinical Trial Participation. Cancer Medicine. April 2024.
Non-Medical Costs Associated With Clinical Trials Continue to Be Barrier to Diverse Participation. American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. February 2, 2024.
Zaorsky NG et al. Clinical Trial Accrual at Initial Course of Therapy for Cancer and Its Impact on Survival. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. November 2019.
Reynolds, S. Changing the Perception of Early-Phase Cancer Clinical Trials: A Conversation With Dr. Naoko Takebe. National Cancer Institute. November 10, 2022.

Tawee Tanvetyanon

Medical Reviewer

Tawee Tanvetyanon, MD, MPH, is a professor of oncologic sciences and senior member at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He is a practicing medical oncologist specializing in lung cancer, thymic malignancy, and mesothelioma.

A physician manager of lung cancer screening program, he also serves as a faculty panelist for NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network) guidelines in non-small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma, thymoma, and smoking cessation. To date, he has authored or coauthored over 100 biomedical publications indexed by Pubmed.

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Jessica Migala

Author

Jessica Migala is a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in health, nutrition, fitness, and beauty. She has written extensively about vision care, diabetes, dermatology, gastrointestinal health, cardiovascular health, cancer, pregnancy, and gynecology. She was previously an assistant editor at Prevention where she wrote monthly science-based beauty news items and feature stories.

She has contributed to more than 40 print and digital publications, including Cosmopolitan, O:The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Woman’s Day, Women’s Health, Fitness, Family Circle, Health, Prevention, Self, VICE, and more. Migala lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two young boys, rescue beagle, and 15 fish. When not reporting, she likes running, bike rides, and a glass of wine (in moderation, of course).

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