FAQ: Clinical Trial Results

Trial results are not always publicly available, even after a clinical trial ends. Some sources for finding published trial results are:

ClinicalTrials.gov
- When available, results information is in the study record under the Study Results tab. See How to Find Results of Studies for more information on finding results entered in the results database.
- Additional information about results is on the page, About the Results Database.
MEDLINE/PubMed
- Search for the name of the study or study number.
- Combine: (clinicaltrials.gov[si] OR clinical trial[pt]) with the particular topic in your search; the first retrieves references from the ClinicalTrials.gov databases while the second retrieves MEDLINE^® references identified as reporting on clinical trials.
- Search for the name of the study's principal investigator or collaborators: (disease AND last name [ir]).
- MEDLINE/PubMed has journal article citations and abstracts. Some links to free full-text articles are available. Speak to a local librarian about obtaining full-text articles via interlibrary loan services if you see no links.
Clinical Trials Results by Type of Cancer or Topic from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
NIH may write about a trial’s results as NIH News, a Clinical Alert, or an Advisory.

Please note: Sometimes, a trial ends before completion, and/or researchers may never publish results. The company that makes the product or sponsored the trial may be the only source of information.

For more information about clinical trials and results, see the following resources: