For African Americans Living with Multiple Myeloma. Is a Clinical Trial Right for Me? 7 Useful Things You Should Know

“Will I receive the b est possible care?” Clinical trials are designed to ultimately improve the “standard of care,”…but what does that mean? 7 Your h ealthcare team can help Your doctor can help. Should you qualify for a clinical trial, your trial will be conducted according to a set of strict rules (the protocol) that help ensure your safety. Your healthcare team will help you stick to your treatment, to give you the best outcome possible. Safeguards have been put in place to protect the patients in clinical trials , including committees to monitor patient safety, patient-friendly informed consent forms, and transparency around the trial results. • Clinical trials are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and local institutional ethics bodies. You may reach out to the professionals that oversee your clinical trial at any time, with any questions you may have. “How do I find the right clinical trial for me?” 3 Standa d of care People who enroll in a clinical trial for a cancer treatment will always receive at least the current standard of care. The term “standard of care” refers to treatments that are accepted by medical experts to be the best practice and are widely used. When you are in a clinical trial, you can expect: • Care will be provided by the healthcare team running your trial. Your team may include physicians, physician’s assistants (m dical professionals similar to doctors), nurse practitioners, nurses, and social w rkers or counselors. • Regularly scheduled appointments at the clinical trial location may be at a hospi al or a doctor’s o ce. This m y requ re additional time a d travel commitments. • Medical treatments will be the current best practice to treat multiple myeloma or may include new m dication(s) being teste . Also, you may rece ve regular medical tests, such as blood tests. • Your safety is your healthcare team’s top priority. The new treatment may ve nknown side e ects or other risks, which may or may not be worse than those from existing treatments. Your physician will elaborate the risk before enrollment to the trial and during the trial if side e ects emerge. 2 1 5 Notes 4 6