You may be treated with only a placebo in a metastatic breast cancer clinical trial.
Answer: False
A patient with metastatic breast cancer will never receive only a placebo in a clinical trial.
It is possible that a placebo could be given along with the new treatment. But that would only occur if the new treatment was being given along with another drug, and the researchers wanted to see if the two-drug combination had different safety and effects than the one drug alone.
Also, if standard therapy is available, a patient may receive the standard therapy plus the new therapy or the standard therapy plus a placebo. But the patient would never receive the placebo alone.
You can learn more about how and when placebos are used in clinical trials below.
- Cancer.net: Placebos in Cancer Clinical Trials
- SurvivorNet: “But What if I Get a Placebo?” Important News From The FDA For People Considering Clinical Trials
- Breastcancer.org: Seven Things People with MBC Want You to Know About Joining a Clinical Trial
Last Modified on March 4, 2021