Taking part in a cancer clinical trial can add a few extra things to think about when planning a holiday.
You may have treatment appointments, additional blood tests or scans, regular monitoring or trial medication to consider. You might also be wondering whether going abroad could affect your participation in the trial and who you should contact if you become unwell while you are away.
But taking part in a clinical trial does not necessarily mean that travel has to be put on hold.
Clinical trials vary considerably. Some involve cancer treatment, while others may involve tests, scans, questionnaires or follow-up. You might take part for a short period or continue to be involved in a trial for several years.
At Lighthouse Travel Insurance, we help people living with and recovering from cancer find cover that takes their medical circumstances into account.
We know that travelling while taking part in a clinical trial can bring up questions you may never have considered before. Can you go abroad between trial appointments? Can you take trial medication with you? What happens if you develop a side effect while away? Could missing an appointment affect the trial?
There is not one answer that applies to everybody.
The type of clinical trial, treatment you are receiving, monitoring you need and your current health all matter.
That is why speaking to your clinical trial team before booking is particularly important.
Can you get travel insurance while taking part in a cancer clinical trial?
Travel insurance may be available while you are taking part in a cancer clinical trial, depending on your individual circumstances.
When you get a quote, you will go through medical screening where we will ask questions about your cancer diagnosis, treatment, medication and current health. This helps us understand your circumstances and the cover available to you.
Someone receiving an experimental cancer treatment as part of an early-stage clinical trial may have very different circumstances from somebody whose treatment has finished but who continues to have follow-up appointments as part of a study.
It is important to answer the medical screening questions accurately so you can be confident you have declared the information we need.
Understanding cancer clinical trials and your travel insurance
Clinical trials are studies that test new treatments or different approaches to cancer care.
They help researchers understand what works best and improve cancer diagnosis, treatment and care.
Taking part can involve different things. You might:
- Receive a new cancer treatment
- Receive an existing treatment in a different way
- Have additional blood tests or scans
- Provide blood or tissue samples
- Complete questionnaires
- Attend additional follow-up appointments
Some trials involve just one appointment, while others can continue for several years.
Before you agree to take part, the research team should explain what the trial involves, including the treatment groups, possible risks and side effects, tests and check-ups, and how often you will need follow-up appointments. You should also receive written information about the trial.
For travel insurance, it is your individual circumstances that matter.
As part of our travel insurance medical screening, we’ll ask you some questions about your cancer diagnosis and your current health. This may include the treatment you are receiving as part of the clinical trial, any medication you take, side effects you are experiencing and any ongoing care.
This helps us understand your circumstances when assessing your travel insurance quote.
This helps us understand your health as it is today and assess the cover available to you.
Can you travel while taking part in a cancer clinical trial?
You may be able to travel while taking part in a clinical trial, but this will depend on the particular trial and your health.
There is no general rule that says somebody taking part in a clinical trial can or cannot go on holiday.
Instead, the important question is whether your plans work with the requirements of your trial.
Clinical trials follow a detailed plan known as a protocol. This sets out things such as the treatment being studied and the tests and appointments participants need before, during and after treatment.
Before booking a holiday, speak to your clinical trial team.
They can tell you whether your plans create any problems with:
- Treatment dates
- Blood tests
- Scans
- Follow-up appointments
- Monitoring
- Trial medication
- Reporting side effects
- Other requirements of the trial
Do not miss, move or change trial treatment or monitoring yourself to accommodate a holiday.
Planning a holiday around clinical trial appointments
One of the biggest practical considerations can be fitting travel around the trial schedule.
Some clinical trials involve more hospital visits, blood tests, scans and check-ups than you would normally have as part of standard treatment.
Before booking, ask your clinical trial team:
- When your next treatment appointments are
- Whether you have blood tests or scans due
- How frequently you need monitoring
- Whether any appointments can be changed
- Whether there are periods when they would prefer you not to travel
- How long you can safely be away
- Whether any monitoring could be carried out somewhere else
- Who you should contact if your travel plans change unexpectedly
Do not assume that an appointment can simply be rearranged.
The timing of tests, treatment and monitoring may form part of the trial protocol, so changes need to be discussed with the research team.
If you enjoy taking longer holidays, tell your clinical trial team when you are making your plans. Understanding the schedule early can make it easier to find travel dates that work.
Planning your trip while taking part in a clinical trial
Once your clinical trial team is happy with your plans, a little preparation can help you feel more confident about travelling.
Before you travel
- Speak to your clinical trial team: Tell them where you want to go, how long you will be away and how you intend to travel.
- Check your trial schedule: Make sure your holiday does not clash with treatment, tests, scans or monitoring.
- Understand your treatment: If you are receiving treatment as part of the trial, ask whether it creates any particular travel considerations.
- Know which side effects to report: Make sure you understand what your research team wants you to do if you experience new or worsening symptoms.
- Keep contact details accessible: Take the appropriate trial or cancer team contact numbers with you.
- Carry trial information: Ask whether you should take your patient information, treatment details or an alert card with you.
- Plan your medication: If you need trial medication or other prescribed medicines while away, discuss how to carry, store and take them.
- Check vaccinations: Ask whether your trial treatment affects which travel vaccinations are suitable.
- Research healthcare: Know where you could obtain appropriate medical help at your destination.
- Think about fatigue and other side effects: Choose a journey and itinerary that work for how you are feeling now.
During your holiday
You may find it helpful to:
- Take medication exactly as instructed
- Keep trial and treatment information accessible
- Save your clinical trial team’s contact details in your phone
- Follow the advice you have been given about reporting symptoms
- Keep any records or diaries required by the trial
- Build rest into your itinerary if treatment causes fatigue
- Know where you could obtain medical help
- Keep your travel insurer’s emergency assistance details accessible
- Contact your trial team if something happens that could affect your participation
The aim is not to make the clinical trial the focus of your holiday. It is to make sure you know what you need to do before you leave and who to contact if something changes.
Side effects from clinical trial treatment while travelling
If you are receiving cancer treatment as part of a clinical trial, your research team should explain the known or possible side effects before you agree to take part.
With newer treatments, however, there may be things researchers do not yet know.
Where a cancer clinical trial involves a new treatment, the trial team may not everything about its side effects, however, they should tell you everything they currently know that is relevant.
That makes knowing how to contact your research team particularly important when travelling.
Before leaving, ask:
- Which side effects should I report?
- Who should I contact if I develop them abroad?
- Is there a 24-hour number I should use?
- When should I seek urgent medical treatment locally?
- What information should I give a doctor treating me abroad?
- Do I need to carry an alert card or information about the trial treatment?
Do not wait until you return home to report a symptom if your research team has told you it needs prompt assessment.
Taking clinical trial medication abroad
Some cancer clinical trials involve medicines that you take at home.
If you need to take trial medication abroad, speak to your clinical trial team before travelling.
Do not assume that the same advice applies as it would to another prescription medicine.
Your research team may need to consider:
- Whether you can take enough trial medication away with you
- How it needs to be stored
- How doses should be managed across time zones
- Whether there are restrictions on taking it into your destination
- Whether you need supporting documentation
- What you should do if medication is lost or damaged
- What happens if you are sick after taking a dose
- Whether you need to record doses while you are away
Continue taking trial medication exactly as instructed.
Do not change the dose, stop taking it or alter the schedule to fit around your holiday unless your clinical trial team tells you to do so.
Clinical trials, immunity and vaccinations
Whether a clinical trial affects your immune system depends on the treatment being studied.
Some treatments may weaken immunity, while others can affect the immune system in different ways.
If you are planning international travel, ask your clinical trial team whether your treatment affects:
- Your risk of infection
- The destinations that are appropriate for you
- Which travel vaccinations you can receive
- When vaccinations can be given
- Any infection precautions you should take while away
Do not have a travel vaccination without checking whether it is suitable alongside your trial treatment.
This is particularly important if you are receiving an experimental treatment or combination of treatments where there may be specific restrictions within the trial.
Flying while taking part in a clinical trial
Taking part in a cancer clinical trial does not automatically mean that you cannot fly.
Whether flying is appropriate will depend on your cancer, the treatment you are receiving, side effects and your current health.
The practical requirements of the trial also matter.
If you are considering flying, particularly during a treatment trial, ask your clinical trial team whether your treatment or monitoring creates any concerns.
Your airline may also have its own medical or fitness-to-fly requirements.
What happens if your clinical trial changes?
Clinical trials are carefully monitored while they are running.
Researchers monitor safety, side effects and how well treatment is working. In some circumstances, treatment or the trial itself may be changed, interrupted or stopped.
Your own participation can change too. For example:
- Your treatment may be changed or stopped
- You may develop new side effects
- You may need additional medication
- Your cancer or general health may change
- You may leave the trial
- You may move into a follow-up phase
If something changes after you have purchased travel insurance, contact your insurer as soon as possible to find out whether the new information needs to be assessed and whether it affects your cover.
The Importance of Declaring Your Medical Conditions and Clinical Trial Treatment
Having travel insurance that reflects your individual health is an important part of travelling with confidence.
When arranging your travel insurance, it is important to tell us about:
- Your cancer diagnosis
- Treatment you are receiving as part of a clinical trial
- Other cancer treatment you are receiving or have received
- Any medication you are taking
- Any side effects or complications where asked
- Any ongoing hospital appointments, scans, blood tests or monitoring
- Any other medical conditions you have
Providing accurate information allows us to assess your circumstances and explain the cover available to you.
If medical conditions or treatments are not declared when required, it could affect your cover and may mean claims relating to those conditions cannot be paid.
At Lighthouse, we aim to make medical screening straightforward, helping you understand what information we need so you can travel with greater peace of mind.
Why Choose Lighthouse Travel Insurance?
Our policies can offer:
- Up to £10 million emergency medical expenses.
- Up to £10,000 cancellation cover, based on the trip cost per person declared.
- Up to £5,000 cover for your personal belongings, depending on the policy selected.
- 24/7 access to an Emergency Medical Assistance team.
- Cover for UK, European and Worldwide trips, provided you are not travelling against the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) travel advice.
- Access to Air Doctor Connect is available on numerous policies, allowing you to connect with over 20,000 doctors in 78 countries. Where non-urgent outpatient treatment is provided through Air Doctor Connect, your policy excess is waived, and you may claim back the cost of prescribed medication when you return home.
Please Note: Any amounts listed above are per insured person on the policy. Cover limits, benefits and exclusions vary between policies. Full details can be found in your policy wording, available in your Customer Area
