Technology-Enhanced Palliative Care for Advanced Cancer Patients

Sponsor
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Other)
Overall Status
Recruiting
CT.gov ID
NCT04989556
Collaborator
(none)
150
1
3
44.6
3.4

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

This trial investigates technology-enhanced palliative care for patients in phase I trials with cancer that has spread to other places in the body (advanced). The goal of this study is to learn if the technology-enhanced palliative care symptom-monitoring program, when combined with in-person clinic visits and standard remote care visits (by phone or video call), helps increase quality of life and care for patients with advanced cancer participating in phase 1 immunotherapy trials.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Other: Interview
  • Other: Palliative Therapy
  • Other: Palliative Therapy
  • Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment
  • Other: Questionnaire Administration
N/A

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:
  1. To assess the effect size of each palliative care intervention technology-enhanced palliative care, standard palliative care [SPC]) on the symptom burden of patients prior to or while on a phase I trial.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I To estimate the effect size of each palliative care intervention (TEC, SPC) on symptom burden over a 12-week period of a phase I trial.

  1. To estimate the effect size of each palliative care intervention (TEC, SPC) on clinical outcomes at 6 months post-enrollment.

  2. To qualitatively assess patients' and caregivers' perceptions of receiving each TEC-based palliative care (PC) Intervention.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 3 arms.

ARM I: Patients receive standard symptom management by palliative care team once every 4 weeks for 12 weeks. Patients and caregivers also may participate in an interview with supportive care nurse over 30-45 minutes during week 8.

ARM II: Patients in Phase I immunotherapy trials will receive in-person clinic visits or standard remote care encounters at least once every 4 weeks and the e-ESAS and PC provider-initiated remote contact every week. Patients and caregivers may participate in an interview with supportive care nurse over 330-45 minutes during week 8.

ARM III: Patients in Phase I non-immunotherapy clinical trials will receive in-person clinic visits or standard remote care encounters at least once every 4 weeks and the e-ESAS and PC provider-initiated remote contact once a week. In all 3 arms, follow-up communication will occur as deemed necessary by the PC team. Patients and caregivers may participate in an interview with supportive care nurse over 30-45 minutes during week 8.

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Anticipated Enrollment :
150 participants
Allocation:
Randomized
Intervention Model:
Parallel Assignment
Masking:
None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose:
Supportive Care
Official Title:
Technology-Enhanced Palliative Care for Cancer Patients
Actual Study Start Date :
Aug 20, 2020
Anticipated Primary Completion Date :
May 7, 2024
Anticipated Study Completion Date :
May 7, 2024

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Active Comparator: Arm I (standard symptom management)

Patients receive standard symptom management by palliative care team once every 4 weeks for 12 weeks. Patients and caregivers also may participate in an interview with supportive care nurse over 30-45 minutes during week 8.

Other: Interview
Participate in interview

Other: Palliative Therapy
Receive standard symptom management by palliative care team
Other Names:
  • Comfort Care
  • PA-Palliative Therapy
  • palliation
  • Palliative
  • Palliative Care
  • Palliative Treatment
  • Symptom Management
  • Symptoms Management
  • Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment
    Ancillary studies
    Other Names:
  • Quality of Life Assessment
  • Experimental: Arm II (weekly provider-initiated remote contact)

    Patients in Phase I immunotherapy trials will receive in-person clinic visits or standard remote care encounters at least once every 4 weeks and the e-ESAS and PC provider-initiated remote contact every week. Patients and caregivers may participate in an interview with supportive care nurse over 30-45 minutes during week 8.

    Other: Interview
    Participate in interview

    Other: Palliative Therapy
    Receive standard symptom management by palliative care team
    Other Names:
  • Comfort Care
  • PA-Palliative Therapy
  • palliation
  • Palliative
  • Palliative Care
  • Palliative Treatment
  • Symptom Management
  • Symptoms Management
  • Other: Palliative Therapy
    Receive provider initiated remote contact
    Other Names:
  • Comfort Care
  • PA-Palliative Therapy
  • palliation
  • Palliative
  • Palliative Care
  • Palliative Treatment
  • Symptom Management
  • Symptoms Management
  • Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment
    Ancillary studies
    Other Names:
  • Quality of Life Assessment
  • Other: Questionnaire Administration
    Complete questionnaire

    Experimental: Arm III (weekly provider-initiated remote contact)

    Patients in Phase I non-immunotherapy clinical trials will receive in-person clinic visits or standard remote care encounters at least once every 4 weeks and the e-ESAS and PC provider-initiated remote contact once a week. Patients and caregivers may participate in an interview with supportive care nurse over 30-45 minutes during week 8.

    Other: Interview
    Participate in interview

    Other: Palliative Therapy
    Receive standard symptom management by palliative care team
    Other Names:
  • Comfort Care
  • PA-Palliative Therapy
  • palliation
  • Palliative
  • Palliative Care
  • Palliative Treatment
  • Symptom Management
  • Symptoms Management
  • Other: Palliative Therapy
    Receive provider initiated remote contact
    Other Names:
  • Comfort Care
  • PA-Palliative Therapy
  • palliation
  • Palliative
  • Palliative Care
  • Palliative Treatment
  • Symptom Management
  • Symptoms Management
  • Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment
    Ancillary studies
    Other Names:
  • Quality of Life Assessment
  • Other: Questionnaire Administration
    Complete questionnaire

    Outcome Measures

    Primary Outcome Measures

    1. Change in global distress score (GDS) [Baseline to 2 weeks]

      Will consist of paired t-tests for the global distress score (GDS, calculated as a sum of 9 physical and psychosocial ESAS items, scored from 0-90 in which a range over 35 indicates high distress) between baseline and 2 weeks if the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) scores are approximately normally distributed. If the data are clearly not normally distributed will conduct Wilcoxon signed rank tests.

    Secondary Outcome Measures

    1. Effect size of each palliative care (PC) intervention, utilizing FAMCARE-P-13 (PRO tool assessing patient satisfaction with outpatient palliative oncology care). [At 6 months after enrollment]

      We will measure incremental change in the scores of patient satisfaction using FAMCARE-P13 from the baseline values. We also will measure the change in the scores every 4 weeks from the baseline score at time-point T0 to the 12 study weeks: weeks 4 (T4), 8 (T8), and 12 (T12). We will additionally measure at 6 months after enrollment.

    2. Effect size of palliative care (PC) intervention, utilizing Global Distress Score (GDS) derived from Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS). [At 6 months after enrollment]

      We will measure incremental change in the scores for GDS using ESAS, a validated score of overall symptom intensity and burden derived from the ESAS. The GDS (range 0-90) is comprised of 9 symptoms: (1) the six physical ESAS symptoms (pain, fatigue, nausea, drowsiness, appetite, shortness of breath), (2) the two psychosocial symptoms (depression, anxiety), and (3) overall sense of wellbeing.. We also will measure the change in the scores every 4 weeks from the baseline score at time-point T0 to the 12 study weeks: weeks 4 (T4), 8 (T8), and 12 (T12). We will additionally measure at 6 months after enrollment.

    3. Patients' and caregivers' perceptions of receiving each technology-enhanced palliative care intervention [Up to 12 weeks on phase I trial]

      We will use semi-structured interviews with patients and caregivers to assess patients and caregivers' perceptions of TEC to understand the value of PC provider-initiated contact between clinic visits

    Eligibility Criteria

    Criteria

    Ages Eligible for Study:
    18 Years and Older
    Sexes Eligible for Study:
    All
    Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
    No
    Inclusion Criteria:
    • PATIENT: Diagnosis of advanced solid tumor

    • PATIENT: Oncologic plan for a phase I trial

    • PATIENT: High symptom burden (defined as a score of >= 4 on at least 1 Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale [ESAS] symptom, AND a global distress score [GDS] of >= 20)

    • PATIENT: Reliable telephone and internet access

    • PATIENT: Able to communicate verbally in English and provide informed consent

    • CAREGIVER: Able to communicate verbally in English and provide informed consent

    • CAREGIVER: Reliable telephone and internet access

    Exclusion Criteria:
    • PATIENT: Low symptom burden defined as scores < 4 on all ESAS symptoms OR GDS < 20

    • PATIENT: Delirium (i.e. Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale > 8)

    • PATIENT: No reliable telephone or internet access

    • CAREGIVER: Refusal to participate in this study

    • CAREGIVER: No reliable telephone or internet access

    Contacts and Locations

    Locations

    Site City State Country Postal Code
    1 M D Anderson Cancer Center Houston Texas United States 77030

    Sponsors and Collaborators

    • M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

    Investigators

    • Principal Investigator: Ishwaria M Subbiah, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

    Study Documents (Full-Text)

    None provided.

    More Information

    Additional Information:

    Publications

    None provided.
    Responsible Party:
    M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
    NCT04989556
    Other Study ID Numbers:
    • 2019-1052
    • NCI-2020-07465
    • 2019-1052
    First Posted:
    Aug 4, 2021
    Last Update Posted:
    Aug 19, 2022
    Last Verified:
    Aug 1, 2022
    Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product:
    No
    Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product:
    No

    Study Results

    No Results Posted as of Aug 19, 2022