Step-by-Step: How to Find Trials That Fit Your Medical History
If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, start by discussing it with your doctor. “The first conversation should almost always be with the patient’s medical oncologist,” says Barbosa. They understand your specific situation and can tell you if a clinical trial might be appropriate.
“Many academic cancer centers have dedicated clinical trial coordinators or research nurses who help identify suitable studies,” he says.
Step 1: Gather Your Medical Details
To evaluate whether a particular study might be right for you, Barbosa says that you’ll need several pieces of information:
- The exact diagnosis (such as urothelial carcinoma or another bladder cancer subtype)
- Whether and where the cancer has spread
- Your previous treatments and how well they worked
- Performance status, or how active you are in daily life
- Kidney function
- Other medical conditions
- Molecular testing results, when available
“For bladder cancer, biomarkers have become increasingly important, especially in clinical trials,” Barbosa says. Cutting-edge treatments often target specific vulnerabilities in the cancer cells, like gene mutations. These include alterations in the FGFR2 or FGFR3 genes and overexpression of the growth-promoting protein HER2.
The National Cancer Institute has a checklist that can help you gather the information you need to find a suitable clinical trial.
Step 2: Check the Trial Registries
There are several databases that you can use to search for a clinical trial:
Major academic cancer centers also run clinical trials, and your doctor’s office may have a navigator who can connect you with studies in your area.
At first glance, looking for clinical trials may seem overwhelming, but using the right search criteria, you can navigate the options and find something that’s appropriate for you.
For example, instead of just typing “bladder cancer” into the search field, Barbosa suggests that you add specific terminology that applies to you, such as “metastatic urothelial carcinoma,” “advanced bladder cancer,” or “muscle-invasive bladder cancer.” You can also search by treatment type, such as “first-line” or “after platinum treatment”; and by specific biomarkers like “FGFR,” “HER2,” and “ctDNA.”
You can narrow your search by location. Importantly, trials list if they are actively enrolling people or are closed to new participants. Make sure to select one that is actively enrolling or about to open for enrollment.
Step 3: Screen for Eligibility
Inclusion criteria may include having already undergone a specific treatment or having certain genetic information in your tumor. Exclusion criteria may be having a problem with your liver or kidneys, or being in poor physical condition.
“Eligibility criteria help researchers identify the patients most likely to benefit, minimize unnecessary risks, and reduce factors that could interfere with interpreting results,” says Barbosa. “Not qualifying for one study does not mean a patient cannot participate in another. There are often multiple trials available with different eligibility requirements.”
