Disadvantages and benefits of taking part in the trial

Clinical trials are carefully designed to reduce the risks and increase the benefits to all people who take part, regardless of which treatment they get.

The main benefits and risks of the MS01 trial are listed below:

Possible benefits

• You get the best care: people taking part in the MS01 trial are treated at specialist centres. You will be looked after by doctors and nurses who have experience in treating patients as part of trials and have treated lots of people with mesothelioma
• You will be seeing the hospital staff regularly so you can easily let them know about any problems you are having

If you are chosen to have chemotherapy:

• it may take longer for the tumour to cause symptoms
  there may be fewer symptoms, giving an improved quality
  of life
• the treatment could help you to live a little longer

Possible disadvantages

• you may have to attend hospital more often than if you were not taking part in the trial, which may be inconvenient for you.
• you may need to have some additional blood tests.

If you are chosen to have chemotherapy:

• the chemotherapy may not control the cancer
• some unpleasant side effects could occur
• there may be a risk of damage to other organs in the body (such as the kidneys or liver) that may harm your general health
• the risk of infection, which may need hospital treatment,
  will increase
• occasionally, side effects such as severe infection may be life-threatening