In this second part of the questions from members of the audience at the EHA patient advocacy session on 'access to clinical trials', the panel consider the need for independent organisations to decide the direction of clinical studies; the value of multidiscipline dialogue between patients, industry and clinicians; the need for patient advocate groups to increase the awareness of clinical trials among cancer patients; the stress caused to patients who are not able to continue taking an effective drug once the trial they are participating in ends; and whether requiring patients to join clinical trials in order to receive new drugs is a good idea.