Clinical Trials
for Cancer in Massachusetts
681 clinical trials for Cancer are currently recruiting participants at study sites in Massachusetts. Study-related care is provided at no cost.
Cancer clinical trials in Massachusetts: what to expect
Cancer is the single largest area of clinical research, and nearly every recruiting cancer trial is written for one cancer type at one stage. Most test a new drug or combination against the current standard treatment: targeted medicines matched to a mutation found in the tumor, immunotherapies that help the immune system recognize cancer cells, antibody-drug conjugates and cell therapies. Others study surgery and radiation techniques, ways to reduce side effects, and screening or prevention in people at higher risk.
In Massachusetts, recruiting cancer studies are concentrated in Boston, Worcester, Burlington and Springfield, with sites in 39 other cities. 329 of the 681 are run by a drug or device company, which usually means a larger study with travel reimbursement; the rest are academic or hospital-led.
Who cancer trials usually look for
Every listing names the cancer type and stage it enrolls, and most also state how many earlier treatments you may have had: some are for people newly diagnosed, many are for cancer that has come back or spread after a first treatment stopped working. Targeted-therapy trials require a specific result on tumor testing, which the site can arrange if it has not been done. Trials generally ask that you are well enough for daily activity (a "performance status" the doctor scores), that blood counts and liver and kidney function are adequate, and that a few weeks have passed since your last treatment.
Having advanced or metastatic cancer does not rule you out. A large share of recruiting trials are designed specifically for it.
What taking part involves
Screening reviews your pathology and scans, often with new blood work and sometimes a fresh biopsy. Treatment then follows a cycle, typically every two or three weeks, with scans every six to twelve weeks to measure the response. Early-phase trials have more frequent visits at the start. The study drug and study-specific tests are provided at no cost; standard care that you would receive anyway is usually billed to insurance as normal. A placebo on its own is rare in cancer trials: when there is one, it is added to the standard treatment, and the consent form says so.
Questions worth asking the study team
Whether the trial is randomized and what the comparison treatment is; what happens if the cancer grows during the study; whether you can keep receiving the drug afterward if it is working; how the trial fits with the plan your own oncologist has suggested; and what travel or lodging support is offered. Your oncologist can also refer you directly.
Showing 20 of 681 recruiting Cancer trials in Massachusetts
Where the Cancer studies are in Massachusetts
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston192 trials
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston137 trials
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston117 trials
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston74 trials
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston48 trials
- Research Site, Boston29 trials
- Boston618
- Worcester53
- Burlington41
- Springfield28
- Peabody20
- Foxborough19
- Milford19
- Methuen16
Counts are recruiting studies listing at least one site in Massachusetts, from ClinicalTrials.gov, refreshed every two days.
Cancer clinical trials in Massachusetts: common questions
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