Treatment Types

Preparing for Clinical Trial Participation

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What to Expect If You Join a Clinical Trial

Thinking about joining a clinical trial? Knowing what’s ahead can help you feel more in control and ready to take the next step. Here’s a breakdown of what typically happens—from your first conversation to life after the trial ends.

Questions To Ask Your Care Team

Once you’ve been referred to a study, these questions can help you understand what to expect, how it might affect your daily life, and what kind of commitment it requires.

The First Question is Always “why?”

Why are you recommending a clinical trial in my case?

What is This Trial About?

What’s the main purpose of this clinical trial?
What do you hope to learn from it?
Has this treatment been used before in people with my type of breast cancer?

What Will the Process Look Like?

What kinds of tests, procedures, or medications are part of the trial?
Will I need scans, biopsies, appointments, or bloodwork more often than usual?
How is the treatment given (pill, injection, IV)?

What Are the Risks?

What short-term side effects might I have?
Could there be long-term or permanent effects on my health, fertility, or body?
How will side effects be managed during the study?

What’s the Time Commitment?

How long will each visit take?
How often will I need to come in for treatment or monitoring?
Will I ever need to stay overnight at the hospital?

What Happens After the Trial?

Will the research team need to check in with me after the trial ends?
If so, how long will that follow-up last, and what will it involve?

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Signing the Consent Form

If a trial looks like a good match, the first official step is signing a consent form. This document confirms that:

You understand the purpose of the study
You’ve been told about risks, potential benefits, and available alternatives
You know your rights as a patient

Keep asking questions until it all makes sense. There’s no such thing as “too many questions” when it comes to your health. You can also take the consent form home to review further before signing. Once you sign, you’ll move on to screening. Be sure to keep a copy of the form with your medical records in case this information can be useful for other healthcare providers.

Screening Appointment

Every trial begins with a screening appointment to confirm you meet the eligibility requirements. This might include:

Blood tests
Imaging (like a CT scan or MRI)
Physical exams
Health surveys

Each study is different. The research team will go over what to expect during the consent process so you won’t be caught off guard.

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Starting Treatment and Regular Appointments

On your first day—and throughout the study—you’ll have regular clinic visits for labs, check-ins, and treatments. How often you come in (and for how long) depends on the specific trial.

Tips to make treatment days easier:

Bring any medications you take at home, in their original bottles
Stay hydrated
Dress in layers for comfort. Wear:
- Short sleeves if you’ll be getting an IV
- A zip-up or button-down if you have a port
Pack things to pass the time: headphones, music, books, or a tablet

Leaving or Ending a Trial

You always have the right to leave a clinical trial, no matter the reason, no pressure. Otherwise, a trial might end for one of the following reasons:

You’ve completed the treatment period
You or your care team decide to stop early due to unexpected side effects or lack of benefit
You choose to exit the trial for personal reasons

Some participants are in a trial for just a few weeks, others for months or even years. Every experience is unique and your voice matters in every decision.

After the Trial: Follow-Up Care

Just because the trial ends doesn’t mean your connection with the study team does. Some trials require follow-up care to track how you’re doing long-term. This may include:

Check-in phone calls
Routine in-person visits

Think of it as one more way to contribute to better care for yourself and others.

Understanding Costs and Insurance Coverage

If you’re thinking about joining a clinical trial, it’s important to understand what it might cost—and what will be covered. Every trial is different, so take the time to talk with your study team and your insurance provider to get clarity upfront.

In many cases, the medicine being studied in a clinical trial is provided at no cost. Travel expenses and other costs may also be paid for by the trial sponsor (the organization or person funding the research). But that’s not always the case.

What is Covered—and By Whom—Can Vary.

That’s why it’s essential to ask:

Is there anything I’ll need to pay for out-of-pocket?
Which costs are fully covered by the clinical trial?
Which expenses will go through my insurance?

Even if You Have Health Insurance, it May Not Cover Every Part of a Clinical Trial.

Here’s what you need to know:

Some clinical trial-related costs may not be covered by your plan at all, especially if the doctor or facility is considered out-of-network.
Most insurance plans are required to cover routine care—like standard blood tests, scans, and check-ups—that they would normally cover for any cancer patient.
However, you may still have to pay your usual deductible, co-insurance, or co-pay amounts.

Questions to Ask Your Health Insurance Provider

When you call your insurance company, be prepared with questions like these:

Is there a standard treatment available for my cancer type that’s fully covered under my plan?
Will this clinical trial cost more than the standard treatment?
Are the doctors or hospitals involved in the trial considered out-of-network?
Will any part of the trial—including tests, procedures, or visits—require pre-authorization?

Many cancer care facilities will help you to figure out the answers to these questions. If this is a concern, please bring these questions up with your care team.