What is a phase 1 trial, and should that worry me?

Phase 1 is the earliest human testing. Its main question is safety and dose, not whether the drug works. Numbers are small, often a few dozen people.

The chance of a phase 1 drug helping you is generally lower than in later phases, though modern targeted and immune treatments have improved it. Ask your team what they expect in your case, and ask them to say it plainly.

Written by two physicians. Checked against patient information from the US National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK.