£

If you've started a trial

Whether you've just started a clinical trial or you're about to, there's a lot to take in. There are new appointments, tests, and the question of what comes next. This page brings together honest answers about day-to-day life on a trial, and stories from people who've been through one. If you want to talk to someone, our clinical trials nurses and our online community can both help.

I've done a clinical trial and come out the other side

Watch Precious talk about her experience on a clinical trial, and hear what she'd choose to tell other people from Black, Pakistani and minoritized communities about clinical trials.

Visit our YouTube playlist to watch I've done a clinical trial and come out the other side with Urdu subtitles.

A male patient and a female nurse on day unit. She is taking a blood test from his left arm. They are both sitting down.

What to expect

Find out what taking part in a trial really involves day-to-day.

Find out more

Hear what it was really like

Everyone's experience of being on a clinical trial is different, but it can help to hear from people who've been through it themselves.

Nicky shares what taking part in the FLAIR trial for CLL was like for her.

Precious explains why having someone to talk to during a trial can make all the difference. Jane describes how being on a trial caught her leukaemia returning and saved her life.

Nicky, a woman who lives with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and participated in a clinical trial, sits next to a man in front of a stone wall.

How taking part in a CLL clinical trial led to Nicky's remission

Nicky shares what it was really like to go through the FLAIR trial for CLL, from the anxious wait to find out if she qualified, to stopping medication and living symptom-free.

Read Nicky's story
Precious, a Black lady, stands in front of a window and smiles at the camera.

"It would have been wonderful to speak to someone else in a similar position before, during and after the trial. I did feel a bit isolated, as the only people I could talk to were my medical team. Try and find somebody you can relate to, who understands."

Precious, diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Read more stories from people affected by blood cancer.
Jane Leahy, blood cancer patient, with her family in front of a church.

What it's really like to be on a blood cancer clinical trial

Jane explains how being on a clinical trial helped catch her leukaemia returning, and ultimately saved her life.

Read Jane's story

You don't have to go through this on your own

Our Clinical Trial Navigation Service provide access to specialist nurses you can talk to about questions you may have about your trial. Or you can find people who've been through a clinical trial themselves in our online community.

A man in a hospital chair is using his phone

Ask the blood cancer community

Connect with people who've been through a clinical trial themselves, or who are thinking about taking part, on our online community forum.

Explore the online forum
Rachel is sat looking at a laptop screen. She has a headset on and is speaking to someone on the phone.

Clinical trials navigation service

If you're ready to talk about trials, a specialist clinical trials nurse can help. They can explain information you've received, and answer questions, or search for relevant UK trials, providing a plain-language summary to discuss with your doctor.

Book a call