Clinical Trial Enrollment

No. Placebos are rarely used in cancer treatment trials, and no one is given a placebo alone when an effective treatment exists for their cancer. When a placebo is used at all, it is typically added to standard treatment, so one group receives standard care plus the study drug and the other receives standard care plus placebo. If a trial involves a placebo, you are told before you enroll.

That is a personal decision, and there is no single right answer. Factors patients weigh include what standard treatment offers for their situation, what the trial is testing, the extra visits involved, the unknowns of an investigational therapy, and timing, since some trials only enroll before other treatment starts. The most useful step is discussing specific trials with a physician who knows your tumor's molecular profile.

Every trial has eligibility criteria covering things like diagnosis, tumor grade, molecular markers, prior treatments, age, and overall health. Qualifying involves pre-screening with a study coordinator, then formal screening with blood work, imaging, and a records review. Criteria exist to keep participants safe and the results meaningful, not to exclude people arbitrarily. If one trial does not fit, another may.

Yes, at any time, for any reason, without penalty. Signing a consent form does not bind you to the study or sign away any rights. If you withdraw, your care continues with standard treatment, and your relationship with your medical team does not change. Participation is voluntary from the first conversation to the last visit.

Federal law requires most health plans to cover routine patient care costs in approved clinical trials for cancer, the same visits, hospital stays, labs, and imaging you would need outside the trial. Most plans may not deny you participation or discriminate against you for enrolling. Medicare covers routine costs in qualifying trials. Research costs, including the study drug, are typically covered by the trial sponsor. The study team verifies coverage before you enroll.

No. Cancer trial participants generally receive at least the standard of care for their disease, and monitoring in a trial is often closer than in routine care, with scheduled labs, scans, and check-ins on a fixed calendar. Every trial is reviewed and overseen by an institutional review board, and researchers must inform you if new risks or findings emerge during the study.

Phase 1 tests whether a new treatment is safe and finds the right dose, usually in 15 to 30 patients. Phase 2 tests whether it appears to work against the cancer, in a larger group. Phase 3 compares it directly against the current standard treatment, often in hundreds of patients assigned to groups by chance. Earlier phases carry more unknowns; later phases build on safety data already collected.

NCI designation is the National Cancer Institute's recognition that a center meets rigorous standards for research alongside patient care. Rutgers Cancer Institute is the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in New Jersey. Practically, that means access to trials, including early-phase studies, that are not open at most regional hospitals, plus routine molecular profiling that determines which trials a patient may match.

Yes. Dr. Sherman is Chief of Neurosurgical Oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute, where he leads the neurosurgical oncology clinical trials program and a translational research program. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed manuscripts, including research in fluorescence-guided surgery, radiosurgery, and cold plasma cancer therapy.