What is a protocol, and can I read it?

It is the full written plan for the trial, often over a hundred pages, finished before a single person is treated. It says who can join, what happens, what is measured, and what would stop everything.

Yes, you can ask for it, or for any part of it. Most people never do, and most teams are surprised but willing.

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