Advanced CancerNCT02455505
Identifying Family Members in Need of Support While Caregiving and After Loss
An observational study of Advanced Cancer, run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
This screening tool will be used to identify significant relations of patients with advanced medical illness or serious hospitalization and family individuals who lost their loved one and who could use professional support in the future. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 21 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Advanced Cancer
- What is being tested?
- background questionnaire and bereavement risk screening tool
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- How many people
- 52 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- May 2015to May 2027
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 21 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Participants will be recruited from MSK and Calvary Hospital locations (The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan), which provides hospice and bereavement services to patients suffering from advanced cancer and their families.
Who may be able to join
- As per self-report, 21 years or older
- As per self-report, has a domestic partner or spouse, child (minor or adult), sibling (sister or brother), parent or close friend diagnosed with any advanced medical illness or who was recently (2 months) or is currently hospitalized for life-threatening injuries or conditions related to a traumatic incident (e.g., car accident, overdose, assault) OR
- As per self-report, experienced the recent (within 2 months to 3 years) death of a domestic partner or spouse, child (minor or adult), sibling, parent or close friend.
- Responds "yes" to the question "Can you understand spoken and written English?
- Agrees to be audio-taped during the cognitive interview [Waves 1 and 2 only] * For Part 2 only: In the event that the patient dies prior to a consenting pre-loss family member completing the study questionnaires, the family member will be eligible for participation in the post-loss group after at least 2 months have passed after the loss
Who cannot join
- Significant psychiatric or cognitive disturbance sufficient, in the investigators' judgment, to preclude the completion of the assessment measures or informed consent (i.e., acute psychiatric or neurological symptoms which require individual treatment)
- Another family member (parent, domestic partner or spouse, sibling, or adult child) has been enrolled in the study
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
United States2 sites
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York, 10065
Calvary Hospital
The Bronx, New York, 10461
About this study
This screening tool will be used to identify significant relations of patients with advanced medical illness or serious hospitalization and family individuals who lost their loved one and who could use professional support in the future. We are interested in enrolling family members or close friends of patients with advanced medical illness as well as family members or close friends who have lost a loved one. Some screening tools to identify family members who might need support do exist, but the investigators are hoping to develop one that is brief and easier for healthcare providers to use. The information learned in this study will help us refine the screening tool. Family member input will be essential in the development of this screening tool.
- Conditions
- Advanced Cancer
- Being tested
- background questionnaire, bereavement risk screening tool
- Keywords
- Cancer Care and Bereavement, Supportive Care, 15-095
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
background questionnaireBehavioural
bereavement risk screening toolBehavioural
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Risk Screening tool & Cognitive Interview | Not described Receives: Behavioral: background questionnaire; Behavioral: bereavement risk screening tool |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
to refine the bereavement risk screening tool and its items based on respondent feedback.
we will obtain family member input on the pre- and post-loss versions of the screening tool; we will obtain input from a separate sample of family members on a revised version of the screening tool that incorporates feedback
Measured: 1 year
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 May 2015 (estimated)
- Study startMay 2015
- Primary completionMay 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionMay 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Advanced CancerStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 52 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Calvary Hospital, Bronx, NY, The New School for Social Research, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- William Rosa, PhD, MBE, MS, Principal investigator, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02455505
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 15-095
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 22 May 2015
- Last updated
- 2 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Identifying Family Members in Need of Support While Caregiving and After Loss
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02455505
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 15-095
- Conditions
- Advanced Cancer
- Keywords
- Cancer Care and Bereavement, Supportive Care, 15-095
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 52 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Calvary Hospital, Bronx, NY, The New School for Social Research, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
- Study start
- May 2015
- Primary completion
- May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- May 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 28 May 2015 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This screening tool will be used to identify significant relations of patients with advanced medical illness or serious hospitalization and family individuals who lost their loved one and who could use professional support in the future. We are interested in enrolling family members or close friends of patients with advanced medical illness as well as family members or close friends who have lost a loved one. Some screening tools to identify family members who might need support do exist, but the investigators are hoping to develop one that is brief and easier for healthcare providers to use. The information learned in this study will help us refine the screening tool. Family member input will be essential in the development of this screening tool.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Risk Screening tool & Cognitive Interview | – | Behavioral: background questionnaire, Behavioral: bereavement risk screening tool |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 21 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Participants will be recruited from MSK and Calvary Hospital locations (The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan), which provides hospice and bereavement services to patients suffering from advanced cancer and their families.
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- As per self-report, 21 years or older
- As per self-report, has a domestic partner or spouse, child (minor or adult), sibling (sister or brother), parent or close friend diagnosed with any advanced medical illness or who was recently (2 months) or is currently hospitalized for life-threatening injuries or conditions related to a traumatic incident (e.g., car accident, overdose, assault) OR
- As per self-report, experienced the recent (within 2 months to 3 years) death of a domestic partner or spouse, child (minor or adult), sibling, parent or close friend.
- Responds "yes" to the question "Can you understand spoken and written English?
- Agrees to be audio-taped during the cognitive interview [Waves 1 and 2 only] * For Part 2 only: In the event that the patient dies prior to a consenting pre-loss family member completing the study questionnaires, the family member will be eligible for participation in the post-loss group after at least 2 months have passed after the loss
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Significant psychiatric or cognitive disturbance sufficient, in the investigators' judgment, to preclude the completion of the assessment measures or informed consent (i.e., acute psychiatric or neurological symptoms which require individual treatment)
- Another family member (parent, domestic partner or spouse, sibling, or adult child) has been enrolled in the study
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| background questionnaire | Behavioural | Risk Screening tool & Cognitive Interview |
| bereavement risk screening tool | Behavioural | Risk Screening tool & Cognitive Interview |
Primary outcome
to refine the bereavement risk screening tool and its items based on respondent feedback.
Time frame: 1 year
we will obtain family member input on the pre- and post-loss versions of the screening tool; we will obtain input from a separate sample of family members on a revised version of the screening tool that incorporates feedback
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Jun 2026.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterLink provided by the sponsor.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
William Rosa, PhD, MBE, MS principal investigator
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Advanced Cancer, run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 2 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
to refine the bereavement risk screening tool and its items based on respondent feedback. (time frame: 1 year). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Jun 2026.