Patients and Public

Patient Participation:

The development of new and improved treatments cannot be achieved without patients willing to participate in studies, by agreeing to try experimental treatments and providing samples of their cancer for further testing.

However, due to the nature of ECMC trials, not every patient is able to take part. Researchers would like to include as many patients as they can, but to make the experimental treatments as safe as possible, there are rules about the kind of patients that can take part, and these include:

  • Patients usually have to be well enough to be up and about for most of the day - and able to look after themselves
  • Patients will have blood tests taken by their doctors to ensure it is safe for them to participate in the trial
  • A patient’s previous treatment for cancer will be considered but this is not usually a barrier to experimental treatment

The rules for each trial will be different, e.g. some trials are specifically for patients with a certain type of cancer, but others are open to patients with any type of cancer. Patients should speak to their doctor or healthcare professional when thinking of taking part in research.

 

Public involvement:
Members of the public playing an active role is important to the research process. The public can include:
  • Patients
  • Potential patients
  • Carers
  • People who use health & social care services
  • People from organisations that represent people who use services

 

Examples of public involvement include:
  • Contributing to research committees and panels, to provide a patients perspective on trials
  • Commenting and developing patient information leaflets or other research materials
  • Joint grant holders or co-applicants on a research project
  • Undertaking interviews with research participants
  • Report and communicate research findings to make it more accessible to a wider audience
  • Act as an advocate for research and promoting involvement

Find out about the ECMC network Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Group that is supported by the ECMC Programme Office.

People in Research has a database of current opportunities to get involved, including those at ECMCs and the CRUK Involvement Network.