Choosing to participate in a treatment study is a personal decision that will require lots of information and time to determine if this is something you want to do. The purpose of the Treatment Studies section is to inform you about the process of research studies, while at the same time to protect your rights and respect your need for privacy. Read more from the editor …

Before you seriously consider becoming a part of a treatment study, get informed about the what goes on during the various study phases and what you should know before determining if a particular treatment trial is suitable for you.

One credible website for patients to find out about studies in your area is www.researchmatch.org. This website is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) efforts to create a registry of volunteers who want to learn more about research studies. Participants are asked to enter information about their illness or medical status and can look up studies within specified distances.

The program can send you e-mail anonymously so you can decide whether or not to contact the researcher. It also encourages healthy controls to sign up, which is also important to researchers and allows family members to participate. The system is well designed, secure, and monitored by the NIH. Individuals who register will not receive spam or other unwelcome solicitations. So far 11,840 men and women have volunteered, along with more than 500 researchers in 218 active studies at 54 institutions across the United States. Participants can deactivate or remove their account at any time.

Study Phases | What You Should Know