Mesothelioma clinical trials are medical research studies used to test new mesothelioma treatments to see how they affect people. Some mesothelioma patients participate in clinical trials as part of their treatment.

Before deciding whether to participate in a mesothelioma clinical trial, you may want to find out what is involved in the trial and discuss the option with your doctors and family members. Some questions you might want to ask your doctor about clinical trials include:

• What treatments will be used?
• How are these treatments different from standard treatments?
• What are the possible side effects from these treatments?
• Where will I receive treatments?
• How much will the treatments cost me?

Getting answers to these questions may help you decide whether a mesothelioma clinical trial is right for you and help ease your fears. Remember that participating is your choice. Your doctor will never enroll you in a clinical trial without your written permission.

Treatments used in mesothelioma clinical trials may have real benefits, but the study may find that the treatments used are not better than standard mesothelioma treatments. The information doctors learn from clinical trials contributes to the knowledge of and progress against cancer.