Decoding clinical trial jargon: helping people understand how safety and quality of life are assessed in cancer trials

Future Oncol. 2025 Jan;21(1):5-10. doi: 10.1080/14796694.2024.2422808. Epub 2024 Dec 2.

Abstract

[Figure: see text].

Keywords: cancer; clinical trials; patients; podcast; quality of life; safety.

Plain language summary

People living with cancer have a profound need to understand any potential negative impacts of treatment on their everyday lives and whether the treatment itself could cause other long-term health challenges. This podcast brings together the perspectives of a patient, patient advocates and an oncologist, to highlight opportunities to better support people in understanding the possible side effects of a treatment and potential impact on quality of life. In addition to bridging gaps between the perspectives of healthcare providers and patients, it may be helpful to support people in interpreting relevant clinical trial findings. With this in mind, two accompanying visual guides use patient-friendly language to help people understand how safety and quality of life are measured in clinical trials.

MeSH terms

  • Clinical Trials as Topic*
  • Comprehension
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms* / psychology
  • Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Patient Safety
  • Quality of Life*

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