“Their hospital asked me to participate in a new drug trial, just used from the monkey wanted me to use the drug, I flatly refused, you give me regular treatment!” “I have used all kinds of drugs before, the effect is not satisfactory, spent a lot of money, almost desperate, then the trial of a new drug, the effect is particularly good, but also do not have to spend money, I should have known to participate in the trial at the beginning!” These are the very different words that two patients told me a few days ago, both of them have certain truths and one-sided understanding, so I think it is necessary to briefly introduce what is a new drug clinical trial and when and how oncology patients should choose to participate in a clinical trial. A clinical trial of a new drug is actually a kind of medical research, which is generally designed to confirm whether a new drug is safe for human use and whether it can achieve the expected therapeutic effect. Clinical trials are conducted for the benefit of medical progress and often for the benefit of patients in obtaining more advanced diagnostic and treatment tools. Clinical trials are usually divided into four phases, namely Phase I, Phase II, Phase III and Phase IV. Phase I clinical trials focus on exploring the safety of the new drug and the characteristics of drug metabolism; Phase II clinical trials focus on evaluating the therapeutic effects of the new drug on certain types of tumors; Phase III clinical trials focus on evaluating whether the new drug is more effective or has lower side effects by comparing it with existing treatments; and Phase IV clinical studies focus on observing and evaluating the safety of the drug during its use in a large number of people after it is marketed. What we usually call clinical trials of new drugs are mainly Phase I-III, which are clinical studies before the new drug is marketed. In addition to promoting the development and progress of medicine, the development of new drug clinical trials often brings many benefits to the oncology patients participating in the clinical trials. First of all, clinical trials of new drugs provide a new treatment for tumor patients. The treatment carried out in clinical trials often belongs to one of the most advanced treatment directions, representing the higher level of current medical development, and may be more effective or have lower side effects than the existing treatment. Many oncology patients do not have the opportunity to wait for such a long period of time. While there are risks involved in trying a drug at the development stage, it may also provide patients with an early opportunity for an effective treatment, which is often critical for patients with life-threatening cancer. Second, participation in clinical trials of new drugs can result in some savings in healthcare costs. Most of the drugs provided for patient use in clinical trials are completely or partially free of charge, and some clinical studies can also provide appropriate reductions or waivers for examination fees, which to some extent alleviate the heavy medical burden of tumor patients; some new drugs are actually marketed and widely used abroad, and it is difficult to obtain the real drugs through regular channels in China, besides, they are also expensive, but during the clinical trials conducted in China These new drugs are often supplied free of charge by the original manufacturers, which on the one hand ensures the quality of the drugs, and in addition saves patients a lot of money, sometimes the savings can even reach hundreds of thousands of yuan per person per year. Again, patients participating in clinical trials often receive the best medical care. In general, hospitals qualified to conduct clinical trials often have strong professional and technical strength and standardized clinical practice; the doctors in charge of clinical trials are often well-known experts in the corresponding specialties; strict clinical trials often require relatively fixed professional doctors for patient consultation and treatment, which requires strict compliance with medical standards, close monitoring of patient changes, and long-term follow-up of patients’ conditions. This consultation requires strict adherence to medical protocols, close monitoring of the patient’s condition and long-term follow-up. After a clinical trial, patients and physicians often develop close friendships, and patients receive more detailed and professional medical care as a result. The rights of patients participating in clinical trials are legally protected. According to the relevant national laws and regulations, formal clinical trials can only be conducted after rigorous preclinical studies have been completed and positive conclusions have been obtained, and they must be reviewed and approved by the State Food and Drug Administration. Patients have the right to withdraw from the clinical trial at any time without any liability, and to receive appropriate compensation in case of physical injury related to the trial drug, all of which ensure that the legitimate rights of patients participating in clinical trials are protected. Of course, the treatment conducted in clinical trials is not a mature treatment after all, and participation in clinical trials carries certain risks. Although the new drugs used in clinical trials are theoretically well-designed and have undergone mature preclinical studies, there is no 100% guarantee whether the expected therapeutic effect can be achieved in tumor patients, whether such efficacy is better than existing drugs, and whether such treatment will allow tumor patients to live longer. In addition, any drug may have certain side effects, even the most advanced new drugs, and with little experience in clinical use, new drugs may have some unforeseen side effects, which are sometimes even serious. However, every rigorous clinical trial requires the physician in charge to monitor the patient closely, to be well prepared, to actively deal with any possible side effects, and to do his best to minimize all possible risks. From the above, it seems that clinical trials are not simply an easy way to apply a new treatment to a patient, nor are they an arbitrary substitute for an existing established treatment, and the ideas of both patients above are somewhat one-sided. Whether and when to participate in a clinical trial should be decided carefully by fully understanding the whole trial and listening to the opinions of relevant experts in advance. Only hospitals that have been audited by the State Food and Drug Administration and whose human resources and equipment have reached a specific level of recognition are qualified to conduct clinical trials of new drugs, and only such hospitals can make it possible for patients’ medical treatment and rights to be Legally protected, including our hospital. The GCP Center of our hospital is the first batch of antitumor drug clinical trial bases announced by the state in 1985, which carries out a large number of new drug clinical trial projects every year, and there are dozens of new drug trial projects that tumor patients may be suitable to participate in. If a tumor patient wants to know whether there is a trial suitable for him/her, he/she should consult his/her supervising physician or the doctor in charge of the project. We all hope that there is always a new treatment that can bring a new light to tumor patients.