Find trials worth asking about
Build a short list with the trial ID, the actual site, and the eligibility questions that matter.
1. Start with your details
Have the exact diagnosis, stage, biomarkers, treatment history and travel limits in front of you. Use the reports rather than guessing a mutation name.
On ClinicalTrials.gov, try:
- Condition: your specific cancer, such as non-small cell lung cancer.
- Other terms: your biomarker or a treatment you are investigating, such as ALK.
- Location: the area you can travel to. Expand it if the results are too narrow.
Start with recruiting studies. If you filter by phase, remember that earlier and later phases answer different questions; a later phase is not automatically a better choice. For a broader search, remove the phase filter.
The NCI trial search guide is another starting point. No one directory contains every possible option.
2. Read eligibility before the exciting description
Check these first:
- Cancer type, biomarker and stage.
- Required or excluded prior treatments and washout periods.
- Rules about brain metastases, other conditions and general fitness.
- Required tissue or test results.
- The individual site’s recruiting status, visits and travel burden.
Do not rule yourself in or out based on one sentence or an AI summary. Mark unclear points for the coordinator.
3. Keep one useful row per trial
| Field | What to save |
|---|---|
| Trial ID | The NCT number and direct study link |
| Why it might fit | The relevant diagnosis or biomarker |
| Open questions | Exact eligibility language you need clarified |
| Site | City, recruiting status and named contact |
| Last checked | Date and what changed |
| Next action | Who will call, and when |
4. Contact the actual trial team
Ask: “Is this site enrolling now, and who can review my records for eligibility?” Have the coordinator check the criteria with your oncologist. Ask about slots, screening, visit frequency and expenses that are not covered.
Do not stop or change treatment to qualify without your treating team’s plan.
5. Watch the trials you already found
I use AI to find new studies and updates to studies I am watching. A newly added location can matter more than another long list of unrelated trials.
Have the tool return the NCT ID, direct source, checked date and exact change. Verify the record yourself. Here is a practical AI workflow.
FCCT offers research support. Jiyu focuses on trials in China and travel coordination; international access needs additional clinical and logistical planning.
