EC Trial Finder
This is our free clinical trial database for NHS staff. Use it to quickly search for early-phase oncology trials across the UK, saving time and improving patient access to innovative treatments.
About our Experimental Cancer (EC) Trial Finder
We aim to make the UK the best place to develop and deliver early-phase oncology trials and improve patient access to cutting-edge cancer therapies. We’ve developed EC Trial Finder with Cancer Research UK, to give clinicians a free, easy to use tool to reduce the time spent identifying suitable clinical trials for patients.
The database is a reliable resource, updated monthly by coordinators at each NHS site with the latest early-phase oncology trials that are actively recruiting within the UK. It covers treatment trials, chemoprevention trials and imaging trials involving prognostic biomarkers. These range from Phase 0 to randomised Phase 2, and span all age groups including adults, paediatric and teenagers and young adult patients.
Log inCreate an accountAre you a patient looking for trials?
Use the Cancer Research UK search page to find a trial by cancer type, drug name or trial name.
Why use EC Trial Finder?
It’s user friendly, with filter functionality and clear summaries that make it easy to find suitable trials by location, age, biomarkers and treatment type.
It speeds up trial recruitment. In a six-month pilot with more than 200 NHS users, it improved the speed and feasibility of trial matching in the network by 55%.
It provides direct contact details for recruiting sites, making it easy to quickly confirm eligibility and check slot availability.
Why include your trial as a sponsor?
Adding your trial to EC Trial Finder gives it visibility across the UK’s early-phase clinical network. By listing your study, you increase the chance of patient referrals, improve recruitment volumes and shorten timelines. It’s particularly valuable for trials that are harder to recruit for, such as stratified studies with small patient populations.
We’ve made the process simple with a blanket approval system. All current and future oncology trials run through our network and other EC Trial Finder registered sites are included without the need for separate notification letters.
Email us at ECTrialFinder@cancer.org.uk to request a sponsor blanket approval form.
Frequently asked questions
We’ve compiled answers to some common questions about EC Trial Finder. Visit our FAQs page to learn more about what data is included, who manages the tool and additional useful information.
If you still have further questions, send us an email at ECTrialFinder@cancer.org.uk.
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How we work
Learn more about how we support our network and our partners to successfully collaborate and deliver early-phase clinical trials.
Industry and partners
We are a centralised platform for commercial partners to launch trials quickly with access to expert teams, sites and processes.
Find a trial
You can also search for trials on the Cancer Research UK website. Find a trial by cancer type, drug name or trial name.