Advanced Malignant NeoplasmNCT03049397
Enhancing Connections Program in Improving Family Adjustment in Patients With Incurable Cancer
A study testing Communication Intervention and Questionnaire Administration in people with Advanced Malignant Neoplasm, run by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This pilot clinical trial studies how well the Enhancing Connections program improves family adjustment in patients with incurable cancer. Participating in an educational program with a co-parent to learn about ways to talk to a child about cancer may help parents and co-parents support their child with the parent's… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 5 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Advanced Malignant Neoplasm
- What is being tested?
- Communication Intervention and Questionnaire Administration
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 15 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 5 Apr 2017to 30 Nov 2018
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
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 5 to 65 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- PATIENTS
- Ages 25-65 years
- Have a diagnosis of incurable cancer of any type; at any time in the diagnosis as long as they have at least a 4 month life expectancy based on the opinion of the attending physician
- Read and write English among their languages of choice
- Parent must live at least 50% of the time in the home and have a child 5-17 years old living at home who has been told their parent's cancer diagnosis
- CO-PARENTS
Show all 18Show fewer
- Co-parents must reside with the consenting eligible cancer participant (and child) at least 50% of the time and be actively participating in the care of the child
- If a biological parent lives in the home, and is physically well themselves, this person must be the co-parent
- If a biological parent does not live in the home (or has died), the co-parent does not have to be a biological parent; therefore, co-parents may be step-parents, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender (LGBT) partners, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc if they otherwise meet eligibility criteria
- He or she can read and write English among their languages of choice and agrees to attend the patient intervention sessions in person or by telephone
- CHILDREN
- The patient and co-parent must agree to focus on the same child throughout the study and consent to have the child participate before the child's assent will be sought
- Children aged 5-13 years of age will participate with a waiver of assent
- Children aged 14-17 will assent to participate in the research study by signing a separate assent form
- Children of formal assenting age will be eligible to participate if they can read and write English among their languages of choice
- ALL PARTICIPANTS
- Participants must live within 35 miles of the University of Washington, Seattle, WA to receive the in-person version of the intervention
- Parents and co-parents selecting the telephone version of the intervention may live any distance from the University of Washington
Who cannot join
- Patients will be excluded if they are enrolled in hospice at time of enrollment; however, they will be allowed to continue in the study if they enroll in hospice after beginning the study
- The triad will be ineligible if any member lives in the home less than 50% of the time
- If any member of the triad retracts consent or assent prior to completion of the post-intervention surveys, then all members will be excluded from the study thereafter
- The child will be excluded if he or she has learning challenges as assessed by the patient or co-parent; patients and co-parents will be instructed to consider any formal diagnoses of a learning disability of the presence of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) when making this assessment
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium
Seattle, Washington, 98109
About this study
Official title: Family Functioning and Bereavement Outcomes Following the Enhancing Connections Program in Palliative Care
This pilot clinical trial studies how well the Enhancing Connections program improves family adjustment in patients with incurable cancer. Participating in an educational program with a co-parent to learn about ways to talk to a child about cancer may help parents and co-parents support their child with the parent's cancer and may help families communicate and function better.
Read the detailed description
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
- Test the feasibility of the study protocol in advanced cancer patients and co-parents (recruitment/retention, dosage and fidelity of the intervention; program acceptability of program; and logistics).
II. Evaluate the short-term impact of the program on the diagnosed parents', co-parents' and children's adjustment and family functioning using a within group design (pre- and posttest design).
III. Compare outcomes from the Enhancing Connections Palliative Program with similar outcomes obtained from the completed phase III trial (between group design) for the patients and children outcomes.
IV. Evaluate the longer term impact of the program on the co-parents' and children's adjustment, including bereavement outcomes when appropriate, using a within and across group design (pre- and posttest design).
OUTLINE:
Patients and co-parents participate in the Enhancing Connections program consisting of 5 sessions over 1 hour each in the clinic or over the telephone. Session topics include managing cancer-related emotions when talking to children, developing deep listening skills, initiating difficult cancer-related conversations with children, interpreting a child's behavior, recognizing newly acquired gains from the program, and identifying available resources that can be used after program completion.
After completion of the study, participants are followed-up at 6 months.
- Conditions
- Advanced Malignant Neoplasm
- Being tested
- Communication Intervention, Questionnaire Administration
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Communication InterventionOther
Complete Enhancing Connections program
Questionnaire AdministrationOther
Ancillary studies
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Supportive Care (Enhancing Connections program) | Experimental | Patients and co-parents participate in the Enhancing Connections program consisting of 5 sessions over 1 hour each in the clinic or over the telephone. Session topics include managing cancer-related emotions when talking to children, developing deep listening skills, initiating difficult cancer-related conversations with children, interpreting a child's behavior, recognizing newly acquired gains from the program, and identifying available resources that can be used after program completion. Receives: Other: Communication Intervention; Other: Questionnaire Administration |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Feasibility of the Enhancing Connections program in advanced cancer patients and co-parents
Recruitment and retention of all triads will be monitored. Dosage and fidelity will be monitored for each intervention session. Program acceptability (per session, overall, duration of program, interval between intervention sessions) will be assessed from a debriefing interview. For logistics four areas will be monitored: rate of receipt of mailed materials both to participants and from participants; duration and type (whether telephone or in-person) of intervention sessions; rate of success in scheduling and completing intervention sessions with patient and co-parent; and quality of data on baseline, post-intervention and follow-up measures.
Measured: Up to 2 years
Change in adjustment and family functioning
Descriptive statistics (e.g. means, medians) will be used to describe the Enhancing Connections palliative care population. Parents', co-parents and children's baseline scores [parent-reported] on standardized questionnaires will be compared with post-intervention and 6 month follow-up scores on the same measures.
Measured: Baseline to 6 months
Outcomes from the Enhancing Connections Palliative Program as measured by the Child Behavior Check List
Linear mixed modeling based on Maximum Likelihood Estimation will be used to test the differences between the Child Behavior Check List results for the Enhancing Connections Palliative Program and the completed phase III trial (EC-R01).
Measured: Up to 2 years
Change in adjustment as measured by post-traumatic growth scores
Enhancing Connection Palliative Program parents', co-parents' and children's post-traumatic growth scores will be compared with follow-up (6 month) scores on the same measure.
Measured: Baseline to 6 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Feb 2017
- Study start5 Apr 2017
- Primary completion12 Sep 2018
- Study completion30 Nov 2018
Why it stopped: Pilot deemed not feasible based on predetermined stopping rules
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Advanced Malignant NeoplasmStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Fred Hutchinson 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
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 15 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Elizabeth Loggers, Principal investigator, Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03049397
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 9667
- Other IDs
- NCI-2016-01640, 9667, P30CA015704, RG9218011
- Status last verified
- Nov 2021
- First submitted
- 8 Feb 2017
- Last updated
- 17 Nov 2021
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Nov 2021. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Family Functioning and Bereavement Outcomes Following the Enhancing Connections Program in Palliative Care
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03049397
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 9667
- Conditions
- Advanced Malignant Neoplasm
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- TerminatedReason stopped: Pilot deemed not feasible based on predetermined stopping rules
- Enrolment
- 15 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Study start
- 5 Apr 2017 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 12 Sep 2018 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Nov 2018 (actual)
- First posted
- 10 Feb 2017 (actual)
- 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 pilot clinical trial studies how well the Enhancing Connections program improves family adjustment in patients with incurable cancer. Participating in an educational program with a co-parent to learn about ways to talk to a child about cancer may help parents and co-parents support their child with the parent's cancer and may help families communicate and function better.
Detailed description
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
- Test the feasibility of the study protocol in advanced cancer patients and co-parents (recruitment/retention, dosage and fidelity of the intervention; program acceptability of program; and logistics).
II. Evaluate the short-term impact of the program on the diagnosed parents', co-parents' and children's adjustment and family functioning using a within group design (pre- and posttest design).
III. Compare outcomes from the Enhancing Connections Palliative Program with similar outcomes obtained from the completed phase III trial (between group design) for the patients and children outcomes.
IV. Evaluate the longer term impact of the program on the co-parents' and children's adjustment, including bereavement outcomes when appropriate, using a within and across group design (pre- and posttest design).
OUTLINE:
Patients and co-parents participate in the Enhancing Connections program consisting of 5 sessions over 1 hour each in the clinic or over the telephone. Session topics include managing cancer-related emotions when talking to children, developing deep listening skills, initiating difficult cancer-related conversations with children, interpreting a child's behavior, recognizing newly acquired gains from the program, and identifying available resources that can be used after program completion.
After completion of the study, participants are followed-up at 6 months.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Supportive Care (Enhancing Connections program) | Experimental | Other: Communication Intervention, Other: Questionnaire AdministrationPatients and co-parents participate in the Enhancing Connections program consisting of 5 sessions over 1 hour each in the clinic or over the telephone. Session topics include managing cancer-related emotions when talking to children, developing deep listening skills, initiating difficult cancer-related conversations with children, interpreting a child's behavior, recognizing newly acquired gains from the program, and identifying available resources that can be used after program completion. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 5 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (18 listed)
- PATIENTS
- Ages 25-65 years
- Have a diagnosis of incurable cancer of any type; at any time in the diagnosis as long as they have at least a 4 month life expectancy based on the opinion of the attending physician
- Read and write English among their languages of choice
- Parent must live at least 50% of the time in the home and have a child 5-17 years old living at home who has been told their parent's cancer diagnosis
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Patients will be excluded if they are enrolled in hospice at time of enrollment; however, they will be allowed to continue in the study if they enroll in hospice after beginning the study
- The triad will be ineligible if any member lives in the home less than 50% of the time
- If any member of the triad retracts consent or assent prior to completion of the post-intervention surveys, then all members will be excluded from the study thereafter
- The child will be excluded if he or she has learning challenges as assessed by the patient or co-parent; patients and co-parents will be instructed to consider any formal diagnoses of a learning disability of the presence of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) when making this assessment
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Communication InterventionComplete Enhancing Connections program | Other | Supportive Care (Enhancing Connections program) |
| Questionnaire AdministrationAncillary studies | Other | Supportive Care (Enhancing Connections program) |
Primary outcome
Feasibility of the Enhancing Connections program in advanced cancer patients and co-parents
Time frame: Up to 2 years
Recruitment and retention of all triads will be monitored. Dosage and fidelity will be monitored for each intervention session. Program acceptability (per session, overall, duration of program, interval between intervention sessions) will be assessed from a debriefing interview. For logistics four areas will be monitored: rate of receipt of mailed materials both to participants and from participants; duration and type (whether telephone or in-person) of intervention sessions; rate of success in scheduling and completing intervention sessions with patient and co-parent; and quality of data on baseline, post-intervention and follow-up measures.
Change in adjustment and family functioning
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months
Descriptive statistics (e.g. means, medians) will be used to describe the Enhancing Connections palliative care population. Parents', co-parents and children's baseline scores [parent-reported] on standardized questionnaires will be compared with post-intervention and 6 month follow-up scores on the same measures.
Outcomes from the Enhancing Connections Palliative Program as measured by the Child Behavior Check List
Time frame: Up to 2 years
Linear mixed modeling based on Maximum Likelihood Estimation will be used to test the differences between the Child Behavior Check List results for the Enhancing Connections Palliative Program and the completed phase III trial (EC-R01).
Change in adjustment as measured by post-traumatic growth scores
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months
Enhancing Connection Palliative Program parents', co-parents' and children's post-traumatic growth scores will be compared with follow-up (6 month) scores on the same measure.
Results and safety
The study was stopped early (reason given: Pilot deemed not feasible based on predetermined stopping rules). Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Nov 2021.
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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.
Elizabeth Loggers principal investigator
Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Communication Intervention and Questionnaire Administration in people with Advanced Malignant Neoplasm, run by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center at 1 site 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 18 inclusion and 4 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Nov 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site 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?
The study was stopped early (reason given: Pilot deemed not feasible based on predetermined stopping rules). Results are not available in the source record.
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?
Feasibility of the Enhancing Connections program in advanced cancer patients and co-parents (time frame: Up to 2 years). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. 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 17 Nov 2021.