At Make 2nds Count we would like to see every patient with secondary breast cancer offered the option of a trial at some point in their treatment pathway. 

However, we funded a research survey in the UK of 768 secondary breast cancer patients and found that 23% of respondents reported an oncologist raised clinical trial participation.

Make 2nds Count funds a Patient Trials Advocate (PTA) service ran by senior research nurses that aims to raise awareness of the benefits of clinical research, and the trials happening within the UK. As a patient with secondary breast cancer you can book to speak to the PTA team. The PTA team can answer questions about how clinical trials work and how to get involved, no matter where you live in the UK, and conduct a personalised trials database search on your behalf. 

It’s important to be aware that clinical trials have eligibility criteria that may exclude you from taking part. For example, some trials in secondary breast cancer will exclude patients with breast cancer that has spread to the brain, others might exclude patients if they have already been on a similar class/type of drug. If you hear about a trial that you are interested in it is important to check these criteria first and the PTA service can guide you through these criteria.