What to Expect at a Pre-Clinical Trial Screening

It is important to realize that not everyone who applies will be accepted into a clinical trial. The purpose of the clinical trial is to determine if a particular drug or treatment protocol is effective against a particular disease. In order to gain as much information as possible from a clinical trial, the trial coordinator will try to control the group of patients as much as possible. Some trials want patients who have not begun any treatment for their disease, others want patients who have a disease that is not responding to a current treatment.

A patient's general health will also be a consideration. While no one will argue that a patient with mesothelioma could be considered healthy, pre-screening coordinators will typically want to avoid patients with other pre-existing medical conditions as well as those taking medications for other illnesses. This is to give an accurate assessment as to the effectiveness of the treatment being tested. The more health conditions and medications that are introduced, the more likely the results of the trial will be skewed.

Sources:

1. http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/home