Lung CancerREACH PCNCT03375489
Early Integrated Telehealth Versus In-Person Palliative Care for Patients With Lung Cancer
A study testing Telehealth Palliative Care and In-person Palliative Care in people with Lung Cancer, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 23 sites in United States.
Trial summary
This research study is evaluating ways to provide palliative care to patients who have recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and their families. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Lung Cancer
- What is being tested?
- Telehealth Palliative Care and In-person Palliative Care
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,798 participants
- Where
- 23 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 Jun 2018to 31 Dec 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
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 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Patient Eligibility Criteria
- Diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer being treated with non-curative intent, and informed of advanced disease within the prior twelve weeks
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status from 0 (asymptomatic) to 3 (symptomatic and in bed >50% of the day)
- The ability to read and respond to questions in English or Spanish
- Receiving primary cancer care at one of the participating sites
- Age > or = 18 years
Show all 11Show fewer
- Lives in a state where their institutions' palliative care clinicians are licensed to practice
- Caregiver Eligibility Criteria
- Relative or friend who is identified by the patient participant and lives with the patient or has contact with them at least twice per week
- The ability to read and respond to questions in English or Spanish
- Age > or = 18 years
Who cannot join
- Patient Exclusion Criteria
- Already receiving outpatient palliative care or hospice services
- Cognitive or psychiatric conditions as determined by the treating oncologist to prohibit study consent or participation
- Caregiver Exclusion Criteria
- Cognitive or psychiatric conditions as determined by the treating oncologist to prohibit study consent or participation
Trial locations and contacts
23 sites in 1 country.
23 sites in 1 country
United States23 sites
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia, 30322
University of Colorado
Aurora, Colorado, 80045
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas, 78712
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, 35294
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02114
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia, 22908
Northwestern University School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois, 60611
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois, 60612
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio, 44195
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas, 75390
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health
Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03756
City of Hope
Los Angeles, California, 91010
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin, 53792
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee, 37204
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19111
Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota, 55905
University of California - San Francisco
San Francisco, California, 94121
University of Kansas Medical Center
Westwood, Kansas, 66205
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157
About this study
Official title: Comparative Effectiveness of Early Integrated Telehealth Versus In-Person Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer
This research study is evaluating ways to provide palliative care to patients who have recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and their families.
Read the detailed description
Patients with serious cancers, like advanced lung cancer, often experience physical symptoms, such as pain or shortness of breath. In addition, both patients and their loved ones (family and friends) often feel worried or sad about the cancer diagnosis.
Research has shown that early involvement of a team of clinicians that specialize in lessening (or "palliating") many of these distressing physical and emotional symptoms and in helping patients and their families cope with a serious illness improves patients' and their loved ones' experience with their cancer. This team is called "palliative care," and consists of physicians and advanced practice nurses (or "nurse practitioners") who work closely and collaboratively with the oncology team to care for the participant and the participant's loved ones. Research shows that when the palliative care team works closely with the oncology team to care for patients with advanced cancer, they have better symptom control, quality of life, and mood, and their loved ones feel less distressed. the investigators call this model of care, "early integrated palliative care."
While the investigators know that having palliative care clinicians work closely with the oncology team is helpful for patients and their loved ones, many patients do not have access to these specialists because hospitals and cancer clinics lack enough staff and because some patients and family members live in distant regions that make attending clinic visits difficult and expensive. One way to overcome these barriers is to have patients meet with palliative care clinicians using secure video-conferencing technology.
The purpose of this study is to determine if meeting with a palliative care clinician through video-conferencing is just as beneficial for patients and their families as meeting with a palliative care clinician in person. Specifically, this study will compare these two different strategies for meeting with the palliative care clinician. The first strategy is to schedule the participant to meet with the palliative care clinician regularly each month in person at the clinic. The investigators call this strategy "In-person palliative care."
The second strategy is to schedule the participant to meet with the palliative care clinician regularly each month using secure video-conferencing, such as through a smart phone or tablet computer. If the participant do not have this form of technology, the investigators will provide it for the participant. The investigators call this strategy "telehealth palliative care." The primary goals of this study are to learn if telehealth palliative care is just as effective as in-person palliative care for improving quality of life, mood symptoms, and satisfaction with care for patients with advanced lung cancer and their families.
- Conditions
- Lung Cancer
- Being tested
- Telehealth Palliative Care, In-person Palliative Care
- Keywords
- Lung Cancer palliative care
- Medical subject headings
- Lung Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Telehealth Palliative CareOther
Teleconference meeting with the palliative care team. Palliative care is a medical specialty focused on lessening (or "palliating") patients' symptoms and helping patients and their families cope with a serious illness.
In-person Palliative CareOther
In-person meeting with the palliative care team. Palliative care is a medical specialty focused on lessening (or "palliating") patients' symptoms and helping patients and their families cope with a serious illness.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Telehealth Palliative Care | Experimental | * Patient and caregiver will meet with the palliative care clinician in person within four weeks of enrollment.
* Subsequent visits with the palliative care clinician will be conducted with the patient and caregiver in their home or other location using video at least every four weeks.
* Patient and caregiver may be scheduled to meet with the palliative care clinician in the clinic if requested by the patient or a clinician.
(Note: Caregiver enrollment in the study and attendance at palliative care visits are voluntary, and the patient can participate with no enrolled caregiver.) Receives: Other: Telehealth Palliative Care |
| In-person Palliative Care | Active comparator | * Patient and caregiver will be scheduled for their first in-person palliative care visit within four weeks of enrollment and then at least every four weeks thereafter until the patient is no longer coming into the clinic.
* In-person palliative care visits will be scheduled on the same day as an oncology visit if possible.
(Note: Caregiver enrollment in the study and attendance at palliative care visits are voluntary, and the patient can participate with no enrolled caregiver.) Receives: Other: In-person Palliative Care |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Patient-reported Quality of Life
Compare the difference between study groups in patient-reported quality of life as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Lung Questionnaire, which has a total scale score range from 0-136 with higher scores indicating better overall quality of life.
Measured: 24 Weeks
Secondary outcomes (5)
Patient-reported Communication About Their End-of-Life Care Preferences With Their Clinicians
Compare the difference between study groups in the proportion of patients who reported that they discussed their end-of-life care preferences with their clinicians based on a single item from the Prognosis and Treatment Perceptions Questionnaire (PTPQ). The PTPQ includes a self-report item that assesses whether the patient communicated with their clinicians about their wishes for care if they were dying (i.e., scored dichotomously as "yes vs. no").
Measured: 48 weeks (or last assessment prior to death if before 48 weeks)
Length of Stay in Hospice
Compare the difference between study groups in the length of stay in hospice (as measured in days) among patients who died during study period per medical record review.
Measured: From hospice enrollment until patient death during study period
Proportion of Patient's Palliative Care Visits With a Caregiver Present
Compare the difference between study groups in the proportion of palliative care visits that had a caregiver present as documented by the palliative care clinician using a study visit summary form.
Measured: 24 weeks
Patient-reported Satisfaction With Care
Compare the difference between study groups in patient-reported satisfaction with care as measured by the Satisfaction and Care Delivery Questionnaire, which has a total scale score range from 0-52 with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
Measured: 24 weeks
Caregiver-reported Satisfaction With Care
Compare the difference between study groups in caregiver-reported satisfaction with care as measured by the Satisfaction and Care Delivery Questionnaire (caregiver version), which has a total scale score range from 0-48 with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
Measured: 24 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted18 Dec 2017
- Study start15 Jun 2018
- Primary completion4 Apr 2024
- Study completion31 Dec 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Lung CancerStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Massachusetts General HospitalThe 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
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 1,798 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jennifer Temel, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Investigators
- Jennifer Temel, MD, Principal investigator, Massachusetts General Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03375489
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 17-484
- Other IDs
- R-1609-35995
- Acronym
- REACH PC
- Status last verified
- May 2025
- First submitted
- 30 Nov 2017
- Last updated
- 16 May 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Post KE, Trotter CS, Munankarmi AM, Chang P, Campbell TC, Rabow MW, Hanson LC, Spoozak L, Grey C, Blackhall L, Chen E, Rhodes R, Cullinan A, Horick NK, Rabideau DJ, El-Jawahri A, Temel JS, Greer JA. Subgroup variations in benefit from telehealth palliative care for advanced lung cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2026 Oct 29:djag408. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djag408. Online ahead of print.
PubMed 42954305Greer JA, Temel JS, El-Jawahri A, Rinaldi S, Kamdar M, Park ER, Horick NK, Pintro K, Rabideau DJ, Schwamm L, Feliciano J, Chua I, Leventakos K, Fischer SM, Campbell TC, Rabow MW, Zachariah F, Hanson LC, Martin SF, Silveira M, Shoemaker L, Bakitas M, Bauman J, Spoozak L, Grey C, Blackhall L, Curseen K, O'Mahony S, Smith MM, Rhodes R, Cullinan A, Jackson V; REACH PC Investigators. Telehealth vs In-Person Early Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer: A Multisite Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2024 Sep 11;332(14):1153-64. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.13964. Online ahead of print.
PubMed 39259563Petrillo LA, El-Jawahri A, Heuer LB, Post K, Gallagher ER, Trotter C, Elyze M, Vyas C, Plotke R, Turk YR, Han J, Temel JS, Greer JA. Health-Related Quality of Life and Depression Symptoms in a Cross Section of Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Palliat Med. 2022 Nov;25(11):1639-1645. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2022.0049. Epub 2022 May 19.
PubMed 35588200
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 May 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Comparative Effectiveness of Early Integrated Telehealth Versus In-Person Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03375489
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- REACH PC / 17-484
- Conditions
- Lung Cancer
- Keywords
- Lung Cancer palliative care
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,798 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts General HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group
- Study start
- 15 Jun 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 4 Apr 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 18 Dec 2017 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 16 May 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This research study is evaluating ways to provide palliative care to patients who have recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and their families.
Detailed description
Patients with serious cancers, like advanced lung cancer, often experience physical symptoms, such as pain or shortness of breath. In addition, both patients and their loved ones (family and friends) often feel worried or sad about the cancer diagnosis.
Research has shown that early involvement of a team of clinicians that specialize in lessening (or "palliating") many of these distressing physical and emotional symptoms and in helping patients and their families cope with a serious illness improves patients' and their loved ones' experience with their cancer. This team is called "palliative care," and consists of physicians and advanced practice nurses (or "nurse practitioners") who work closely and collaboratively with the oncology team to care for the participant and the participant's loved ones. Research shows that when the palliative care team works closely with the oncology team to care for patients with advanced cancer, they have better symptom control, quality of life, and mood, and their loved ones feel less distressed. the investigators call this model of care, "early integrated palliative care."
While the investigators know that having palliative care clinicians work closely with the oncology team is helpful for patients and their loved ones, many patients do not have access to these specialists because hospitals and cancer clinics lack enough staff and because some patients and family members live in distant regions that make attending clinic visits difficult and expensive. One way to overcome these barriers is to have patients meet with palliative care clinicians using secure video-conferencing technology.
The purpose of this study is to determine if meeting with a palliative care clinician through video-conferencing is just as beneficial for patients and their families as meeting with a palliative care clinician in person. Specifically, this study will compare these two different strategies for meeting with the palliative care clinician. The first strategy is to schedule the participant to meet with the palliative care clinician regularly each month in person at the clinic. The investigators call this strategy "In-person palliative care."
The second strategy is to schedule the participant to meet with the palliative care clinician regularly each month using secure video-conferencing, such as through a smart phone or tablet computer. If the participant do not have this form of technology, the investigators will provide it for the participant. The investigators call this strategy "telehealth palliative care." The primary goals of this study are to learn if telehealth palliative care is just as effective as in-person palliative care for improving quality of life, mood symptoms, and satisfaction with care for patients with advanced lung cancer and their families.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Telehealth Palliative Care | Experimental | Other: Telehealth Palliative Care* Patient and caregiver will meet with the palliative care clinician in person within four weeks of enrollment. * Subsequent visits with the palliative care clinician will be conducted with the patient and caregiver in their home or other location using video at least every four weeks. * Patient and caregiver may be scheduled to meet with the palliative care clinician in the clinic if requested by the patient or a clinician. (Note: Caregiver enrollment in the study and attendance at palliative care visits are voluntary, and the patient can participate with no enrolled caregiver.) |
| In-person Palliative Care | Active comparator | Other: In-person Palliative Care* Patient and caregiver will be scheduled for their first in-person palliative care visit within four weeks of enrollment and then at least every four weeks thereafter until the patient is no longer coming into the clinic. * In-person palliative care visits will be scheduled on the same day as an oncology visit if possible. (Note: Caregiver enrollment in the study and attendance at palliative care visits are voluntary, and the patient can participate with no enrolled caregiver.) |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (11 listed)
- Patient Eligibility Criteria
- Caregiver Eligibility Criteria
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Patient Exclusion Criteria
- Caregiver Exclusion Criteria
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Telehealth Palliative CareTeleconference meeting with the palliative care team. Palliative care is a medical specialty focused on lessening (or "palliating") patients' symptoms and helping patients and their families cope with a serious illness. | Other | Telehealth Palliative Care |
| In-person Palliative CareIn-person meeting with the palliative care team. Palliative care is a medical specialty focused on lessening (or "palliating") patients' symptoms and helping patients and their families cope with a serious illness. | Other | In-person Palliative Care |
Primary outcome
Patient-reported Quality of Life
Time frame: 24 Weeks
Compare the difference between study groups in patient-reported quality of life as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Lung Questionnaire, which has a total scale score range from 0-136 with higher scores indicating better overall quality of life.
5 secondary outcomes
Patient-reported Communication About Their End-of-Life Care Preferences With Their Clinicians
Time frame: 48 weeks (or last assessment prior to death if before 48 weeks)
Length of Stay in Hospice
Time frame: From hospice enrollment until patient death during study period
Proportion of Patient's Palliative Care Visits With a Caregiver Present
Time frame: 24 weeks
Patient-reported Satisfaction With Care
Time frame: 24 weeks
Caregiver-reported Satisfaction With Care
Time frame: 24 weeks
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 16 May 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42954305Post KE, Trotter CS, Munankarmi AM, Chang P, Campbell TC, Rabow MW, Hanson LC, Spoozak L, Grey C, Blackhall L, Chen E, Rhodes R, Cullinan A, Horick NK, Rabideau DJ, El-Jawahri A, Temel JS, Greer JA. Subgroup variations in benefit from telehealth palliative care for advanced lung cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2026 Oct 29:djag408. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djag408. Online ahead of print.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 39259563Greer JA, Temel JS, El-Jawahri A, Rinaldi S, Kamdar M, Park ER, Horick NK, Pintro K, Rabideau DJ, Schwamm L, Feliciano J, Chua I, Leventakos K, Fischer SM, Campbell TC, Rabow MW, Zachariah F, Hanson LC, Martin SF, Silveira M, Shoemaker L, Bakitas M, Bauman J, Spoozak L, Grey C, Blackhall L, Curseen K, O'Mahony S, Smith MM, Rhodes R, Cullinan A, Jackson V; REACH PC Investigators. Telehealth vs In-Person Early Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer: A Multisite Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2024 Sep 11;332(14):1153-64. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.13964. Online ahead of print.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 35588200Petrillo LA, El-Jawahri A, Heuer LB, Post K, Gallagher ER, Trotter C, Elyze M, Vyas C, Plotke R, Turk YR, Han J, Temel JS, Greer JA. Health-Related Quality of Life and Depression Symptoms in a Cross Section of Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Palliat Med. 2022 Nov;25(11):1639-1645. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2022.0049. Epub 2022 May 19.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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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.
Jennifer Temel, MD principal investigator
Massachusetts General Hospital
23 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Telehealth Palliative Care and In-person Palliative Care in people with Lung Cancer, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 23 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 11 inclusion and 5 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 May 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 23 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?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 16 May 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
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?
Patient-reported Quality of Life (time frame: 24 Weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03375489, which also lists 3 linked publications.
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 16 May 2025.