How do I find a clinical trial for my cancer?
Start from your tumor's molecular profile, not its name. Registry searches on ClinicalTrials.gov return hundreds of results, most of which you are ineligible for. Filtering by driver alteration, prior lines of therapy, performance status, and actively recruiting sites reduces that to a workable shortlist, which then has to be checked against the trial coordinator.
Why the registry alone misleads
ClinicalTrials.gov is comprehensive but not curated. Listings stay up after sites stop enrolling, eligibility criteria are written for investigators rather than patients, and the same trial appears many times across sites. A search for a common tumor type routinely returns several hundred studies, of which a specific patient may qualify for a handful.
The filters that matter
Eligibility usually turns on a small number of variables, and knowing them before you search saves weeks.
- The specific driver alteration and its variant, not just the gene name
- Number and type of prior systemic therapies
- Performance status and organ function thresholds
- Brain metastases: present, treated, or absent
- Whether the site is actively enrolling right now, verified by contact rather than by listing
- Travel and residency requirements, including trials open to international patients
Timing is the part people underestimate
Enrollment windows close, cohorts fill, and prior-therapy exclusions mean that starting another line of treatment can disqualify you from a study you would have entered a month earlier. When a trial is a serious consideration, the search should happen before the next treatment decision, not after.
Related questions
Are clinical trials a last resort?
No. Many trials enroll in the first or second line, and some of the strongest options are only available through a study.
Do clinical trials cost money?
The investigational agent and protocol-required procedures are generally covered by the sponsor. Travel, lodging, and standard-of-care costs may not be.
Can international patients join US trials?
Sometimes. Some studies accept international participants and some have sites in multiple countries. Residency and insurance requirements vary by protocol.
Reviewed 2026-08-13 by Kim Lockheimer, PhD, DFM.