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Mike Mitka

JAMA. 2001;286:3071.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 149 words of the full text and any section headings.

Therapeutic misconceptions are common among patients even after they sign informed consent statements asserting that they fully comprehend the pros and cons of clinical trials, said Boston researchers in a study appearing in the November 24 issue of The Lancet.

In the study, which was conducted at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital, 205 adult cancer patients who had recently enrolled in phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials in Boston completed questionnaires about their understanding of the studies.

The investigators found that 145 (71%) of respondents knew that they might not get any direct medical benefit from the trial, but just 77 (less than 40%) recognized that participation might carry additional risk or discomfort compared with standard therapies. In addition, 51 (25%) did not realize that clinical trials are conducted mainly to benefit future patients, not those involved in the trial.

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