Clinical trials
You could also talk to your doctor about taking part in a clinical trial as a means of getting you the best treatment available.
Clinical trials are medical research studies involving people. The purpose of clinical trials includes looking for better treatments or better ways to prevent, screen or diagnose a disease such as cancer. If you are asked to take part in a clinical trial, you need to be given enough information to help you make up your mind as to whether or not to participate. Taking part in a clinical trial is completely voluntary.
Our Research page has a wealth of information about clinical trials, including a searchable clinical trials database to help you find a suitable clinical trial in your region. There are also clinical trial experiences that may help you to decide whether this is a route you want to take.
The Royal Marsden Hospital also has some very good information about clinical trials on their website.
Alternatively you can search current UK clinical trials at the following links:
A pharmaceutical company may choose to run an expanded access programme to allow early access to their medicine, for example, for patients who have been treated with the medicine during a clinical trial and wish to continue treatment. In an expanded access programme, patients are usually followed up in the same way as patients in a clinical trial.
