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• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Organising trials >> Sir Iain Chalmers - Interview 30 >> Treatment for prostate cancer can have unpleasant side effects. Because the best way of treating it is uncertain, a trial comparing different treatmen

Iain is a keen advocate for well-designed randomised controlled trials to test treatments.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Cancer drugs and radiotherapy - randomised trials >> Rose - Interview 17 >> It is important for staff not to try to influence you. If you say yes just because you like the researcher it could cause problems.

Rose took part in a trial for people with inoperable lung cancer, comparing radiotherapy alone with radiotherapy plus chemotherapy. She had just radiotherapy. The trial was stopped early because so few people agreed to take part.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Cancer drugs and radiotherapy - randomised trials >> Rose - Interview 17 >> Rose volunteered to ‘give something back’. She knew both treatments were tried and tested, and was happy to be in the control group. But she would hav

Rose took part in a trial for people with inoperable lung cancer, comparing radiotherapy alone with radiotherapy plus chemotherapy. She had just radiotherapy. The trial was stopped early because so few people agreed to take part.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Not taking part in a trial >> Hazel - Interview 05 >> She later discovered some doctors disagreed with radiotherapy as a treatment for DCIS, and were entering their patients only for the tamoxifen or no t

Hazel learnt she had breast cancer (DCIS) after screening in 1991. After surgery she was asked to be in a trial comparing no further treatment with radiotherapy, tamoxifen, or radiotherapy and tamoxifen combined. She declined to take part. (You can see Hazel talking more about her experiences on the Healthtalkonline site on Breast cancer screening, Interview 17 & DCIS, Interview 26).

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Cancer drugs and radiotherapy - randomised trials >> Celia - Interview 12 >> Celia wishes she had withdrawn from the trial. She has since found that her system seems to be unusually sensitive to radiotherapy, and she believes t

Celia took part in a randomised controlled trial comparing different periods of radiotherapy for lymphoma. She was would have preferred the shorter course; she was allocated to the longer course but took part anyway.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Trials involving surgery >> Ronny - Interview 42 >> Ronny was prepared to let the computer decide which treatment he would have for prostate cancer, but if he had been allocated to radiotherapy he would

Ronny was invited by his GP to be screened for prostate cancer as part of a trial. He discovered he had cancer. He was randomised to have radical surgery (rather than monitoring or radiotherapy) and is pleased with how it went.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Trials involving surgery >> Ronny - Interview 42 >> Waiting to hear which group he was in was ‘a long few minutes’. Ronny hoped he’d be in the active monitoring group, but it turned out to be surgery. H

Ronny was invited by his GP to be screened for prostate cancer as part of a trial. He discovered he had cancer. He was randomised to have radical surgery (rather than monitoring or radiotherapy) and is pleased with how it went.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Cancer drugs and radiotherapy - randomised trials >> Rose - Interview 17 >> Rose wonders if she saw a doctor less often because she was in a trial. The nurse dealt with side effects. She felt some people assumed she didn’t nee

Rose took part in a trial for people with inoperable lung cancer, comparing radiotherapy alone with radiotherapy plus chemotherapy. She had just radiotherapy. The trial was stopped early because so few people agreed to take part.

• Medical research >> Clinical Trials >> Cancer drugs and radiotherapy - randomised trials >> Celia - Interview 12 >> Celia was relieved when the trial finished and she did not have to make the daily journey. She has no regrets, though she still worries that the extra

Celia took part in a randomised controlled trial comparing different periods of radiotherapy for lymphoma. She was would have preferred the shorter course; she was allocated to the longer course but took part anyway.