Are placebos used in cancer treatment clinical trials?
The use of placebos as comparison or “control” interventions in cancer treatment trials is rare. If a placebo is used by itself, it is because no standard treatment exists. In this case, a trial would compare the effects of a new treatment with the effects of a placebo. More often, however, placebos are given along with a standard treatment. For example, a trial might compare the effects of a standard treatment plus a new treatment with the effects of the same standard treatment plus a placebo. • What are some of the possible benefits of taking part in a clinical trial? The benefits of participating in a clinical trial include the following: • Trial participants have access to promising new interventions that are generally not available outside of a clinical trial. • The intervention being studied may be more effective than standard therapy. If it is more effective, trial participants may be the first to benefit from it. • Trial participants receive regular and careful medical attentio
