Breast CancerNCT03572374
Talking to Employers and Medical Staff About Breast Cancer Treatment and Your Job
A study testing TEAMWork App and Information Booklet in people with Breast Cancer, run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 9 sites in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is learn more about how being treated for breast cancer affects patients' employment. Researchers are testing an early version of a mobile app designed to help breast cancer patients keep their jobs during and after treatment. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 64 years, women only
- Conditions the study is for
- Breast Cancer
- What is being tested?
- TEAMWork App and Information Booklet
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 546 participants
- Where
- 9 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 30 Aug 2019to 15 Oct 2029
- Phase
- Interventional
- 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 18 to 64 years
- Women only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Patient Usability Testing Inclusion Criteria:
- History of a cancer diagnosis
- At least 18 years of age
- Male or Female
- The ability to give informed consent in English or Spanish
- Able to use and read a smartphone (iPhone or Android)
Show all 33Show fewer
- Has a smartphone (iPhone or Android)
- Community Usability Testing Inclusion Criteria:
- At least 18 years of age
- Male or Female
- The ability to give informed consent in English or Spanish
- Able to use and read a smartphone (iPhone or Android)
- Has a smartphone (iPhone or Android)
- Focus Group and Interview Inclusion Criteria:
- Completed chemotherapy treatment for stage I-III breast cancer.
- Age 18 to 64 (inclusive)
- Female
- Paid employment (full time or part time) in the three months prior to diagnosis or at time of consent to MSK protocol #10-071 (PI: Blinder)
- The ability to give informed consent in English or Spanish
- Able to use and read a smartphone (iPhone or Android)
- Has a smartphone (iPhone or Android)
- For Cohort 2:
- Participants was covered by Emergency Medicaid at the time of diagnosis and/or at any point during their treatment for breast cancer
- RCT Inclusion Criteria:
- Localized invasive breast cancer (not stage 0 or stage IV) per EMR or breast cancer (not stage 0 or stage IV) per self-report for community participants
- If electronic medical record does not specify stage and patient is undergoing (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy, assume stage is I, II or III
- Planning to undergo or undergoing adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy per EMR or planning to undergo or undergo chemotherapy per self-report for community participants
- Age 18 to 64 (inclusive)
- Female
- Employment statue of (full time or part time) (those who are on disability leave/medical leave, and other unique employment circumstances at the PI's dicretion are eligible)
- Language preference as English or Spanish
- Able to use and read a smartphone or tablet (e.g. iPad, iPhone or Android)
- Has access to a smartphone or tablet (e.g. iPad, iPhone or Android)
Who cannot join
- RCT Exclusion Criteria:
- Stage 0 breast cancer (DCIS only)
- Stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer
- Recurrence with metastases of breast cancer
- Participants or family members who are participating in MSK IHCD studies related to social determinants of health
Trial locations and contacts
9 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Francesca Gany, M.D., M.Sc. contact
9 sites in 1 country
United States9 sites, 8 recruiting
- Recruiting
Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Consent and Follow-up)
Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920
Victoria Blinder, M.D., M.Sc, 646-888-4808
- Recruiting
Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester (Consent and Follow-up)
Harrison, New York, 10604
Victoria Blinder, M.D., M.Sc, 646-888-4808
- Recruiting
Queens Cancer Center of Queens Hospital
Jamaica, New York, 11432
Margaret Kemeny, MD, 718-883-4031
- Recruiting
Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth (Consent and Follow-up)
Middletown, New Jersey, 07748
Victoria Blinder, MD, MSc, 646-888-4808
- Recruiting
Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen (Consent and Follow up)
Montvale, New Jersey, 07645
Victoria Blinder, M.D., M.Sc., 646-888-4808
- Not yet recruiting
Bellevue Hospital Center (Data Collection Only)
New York, New York, 10016
Tresara Bell, MD, 844-692-4692
- Recruiting
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York, 10065
Victoria Blinder, M.D., M.Sc, 646-888-4808
Francesca Gany, M.D., M.Sc, 646-888-8054
- Active, not recruiting
Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center
The Bronx, New York, 10451
- Recruiting
Montefiore Medical Center
The Bronx, New York, 10467
Della Makower, MD, 718-862-8840
About this study
Official title: Breast Cancer and the Workforce: Talking to Employers and Medical Staff About Work (TEAMWork)
The purpose of this study is learn more about how being treated for breast cancer affects patients' employment. Researchers are testing an early version of a mobile app designed to help breast cancer patients keep their jobs during and after treatment. The app provides advice for patients to use when having conversations about breast cancer with their employers and their doctors. The app is called TEAMWork (Talking to Employers And Medical staff about Work). In this study, the investigators are asking breast cancer patients who are about to receive treatment or who are currently receiving treatment to tell us what aspects of the app work well, so that they can learn how to improve it.
- Conditions
- Breast Cancer
- Being tested
- TEAMWork App, Information Booklet
- Keywords
- Workforce, Employers, Talking to Employers and Medical Staff About Work (TEAMWork), 18-217
- Medical subject headings
- Breast Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
TEAMWork AppOther
Also called Talking to Employers and Medical Staff About Work (TEAMWork)
The 2-pronged approach of the intervention is operationalized through 2 menus, 1 focused on interactions with the employer and the other with the clinic team. Each menu has a list of features from which participants can choose to learn about a particular topic. A "My notes" button allows participants to take notes directly on the app. These notes will not be available to the research team, such that participants may use the tool without concerns about privacy. The workplace accommodations menu includes sample videos using trained actors to demonstrate how to approach an employer to request accommodations. Additional features include suggestions for accommodations that may be helpful, templates for letters participants can use when requesting accommodations, links to relevant websites, information about legal protections, and contact information for lawyers and firms that provide pro bono assistance.
Information BookletOther
Participants in the control arm will receive a booklet that includes the information in the app that can practicably be converted to paper. These participants will not have access to the multimedia aspects of the intervention, such as the videos, but they will have all of the relevant information in the app described above, including suggestions for accommodations, written templates for letters, links to websites, information about legal protections, and contact information for pro bono legal assistance. The booklet will also contain information about chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, recommendations for management of common symptoms, and advice for communicating with the clinic team. The information booklet will be provided entirely on paper, although participants may independently access websites recommended in the booklet. The booklet content will mirror the app with regard to cultural responsiveness and appropriateness for different job types and characteristics.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| TEAMWork App | Experimental | The 2-pronged approach of the intervention is operationalized through 2 menus, 1 focused on interactions with the employer and the other with the clinic team. Each menu has a list of features from which participants can choose to learn about a particular topic. A "My notes" button allows participants to take notes directly on the app. These notes will not be available to the research team, such that participants may use the tool without concerns about privacy. The workplace accommodations menu includes sample videos using trained actors to demonstrate how to approach an employer to request accommodations. Additional features include suggestions for accommodations that may be helpful, templates for letters participants can use when requesting accommodations, links to relevant websites, information about legal protections, and contact information for lawyers and firms that provide pro bono assistance. Receives: Other: TEAMWork App |
| Information Booklet (control) | Active comparator | Participants will receive a booklet that includes the information in the app that can practicably be converted to paper. These participants will not have access to the multimedia aspects of the intervention, such as the videos, but they will have all of the relevant information in the app described above, including suggestions for accommodations, written templates for letters, links to websites, information about legal protections, and contact information for pro bono legal assistance. The booklet will also contain information about chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, recommendations for management of common symptoms, and advice for communicating with the clinic team. The information booklet will be provided entirely on paper, although participants may independently access websites recommended in the booklet. The booklet content will mirror the app with regard to cultural responsiveness and appropriateness for different job types and characteristics. Receives: Other: Information Booklet |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
number of participants still employed
Talking to Employers and Medical Staff About Work (TEAMWork) the mobile application (app) is designed to educate patients and improve their communication skills with their employers and their oncology providers, thereby increasing access to work accommodations and optimizing symptom control during treatment. By increasing patients" ability to work during treatment, we believe the app will help them retain their jobs.
Measured: 2 years
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Jun 2018
- Study start30 Aug 2019
- Primary completion31 May 2026
- Study completion15 Oct 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Breast 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
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 546 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Victoria Blinder, M.D., M.Sc., Principal investigator, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03572374
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 18-217
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 8 Jun 2018
- Last updated
- 12 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Publications
Blinder VS, Patil S, Finik J, Makower D, Muppidi M, Lichtenthal WG, Parker PA, Claros M, Suarez J, Narang B, Gany F. An interactive mobile application versus an educational booklet to promote job retention in women undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2022 Oct 3;23(1):840. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06580-7.
PubMed 36192754
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 12 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Breast Cancer and the Workforce: Talking to Employers and Medical Staff About Work (TEAMWork)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03572374
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 18-217
- Conditions
- Breast Cancer
- Keywords
- Workforce, Employers, Talking to Employers and Medical Staff About Work (TEAMWork), 18-217
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 546 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 30 Aug 2019 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 May 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 15 Oct 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 28 Jun 2018 (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.
The purpose of this study is learn more about how being treated for breast cancer affects patients' employment. Researchers are testing an early version of a mobile app designed to help breast cancer patients keep their jobs during and after treatment. The app provides advice for patients to use when having conversations about breast cancer with their employers and their doctors. The app is called TEAMWork (Talking to Employers And Medical staff about Work). In this study, the investigators are asking breast cancer patients who are about to receive treatment or who are currently receiving treatment to tell us what aspects of the app work well, so that they can learn how to improve it.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| TEAMWork App | Experimental | Other: TEAMWork AppThe 2-pronged approach of the intervention is operationalized through 2 menus, 1 focused on interactions with the employer and the other with the clinic team. Each menu has a list of features from which participants can choose to learn about a particular topic. A "My notes" button allows participants to take notes directly on the app. These notes will not be available to the research team, such that participants may use the tool without concerns about privacy. The workplace accommodations menu includes sample videos using trained actors to demonstrate how to approach an employer to request accommodations. Additional features include suggestions for accommodations that may be helpful, templates for letters participants can use when requesting accommodations, links to relevant websites, information about legal protections, and contact information for lawyers and firms that provide pro bono assistance. |
| Information Booklet (control) | Active comparator | Other: Information BookletParticipants will receive a booklet that includes the information in the app that can practicably be converted to paper. These participants will not have access to the multimedia aspects of the intervention, such as the videos, but they will have all of the relevant information in the app described above, including suggestions for accommodations, written templates for letters, links to websites, information about legal protections, and contact information for pro bono legal assistance. The booklet will also contain information about chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, recommendations for management of common symptoms, and advice for communicating with the clinic team. The information booklet will be provided entirely on paper, although participants may independently access websites recommended in the booklet. The booklet content will mirror the app with regard to cultural responsiveness and appropriateness for different job types and characteristics. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 64 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (33 listed)
- History of a cancer diagnosis
- At least 18 years of age
- Male or Female
- The ability to give informed consent in English or Spanish
- Able to use and read a smartphone (iPhone or Android)
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Stage 0 breast cancer (DCIS only)
- Stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer
- Recurrence with metastases of breast cancer
- Participants or family members who are participating in MSK IHCD studies related to social determinants of health
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 |
|---|---|---|
| TEAMWork AppAlso: Talking to Employers and Medical Staff About Work (TEAMWork)The 2-pronged approach of the intervention is operationalized through 2 menus, 1 focused on interactions with the employer and the other with the clinic team. Each menu has a list of features from which participants can choose to learn about a particular topic. A "My notes" button allows participants to take notes directly on the app. These notes will not be available to the research team, such that participants may use the tool without concerns about privacy. The workplace accommodations menu includes sample videos using trained actors to demonstrate how to approach an employer to request accommodations. Additional features include suggestions for accommodations that may be helpful, templates for letters participants can use when requesting accommodations, links to relevant websites, information about legal protections, and contact information for lawyers and firms that provide pro bono assistance. | Other | TEAMWork App |
| Information BookletParticipants in the control arm will receive a booklet that includes the information in the app that can practicably be converted to paper. These participants will not have access to the multimedia aspects of the intervention, such as the videos, but they will have all of the relevant information in the app described above, including suggestions for accommodations, written templates for letters, links to websites, information about legal protections, and contact information for pro bono legal assistance. The booklet will also contain information about chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, recommendations for management of common symptoms, and advice for communicating with the clinic team. The information booklet will be provided entirely on paper, although participants may independently access websites recommended in the booklet. The booklet content will mirror the app with regard to cultural responsiveness and appropriateness for different job types and characteristics. | Other | Information Booklet (control) |
Primary outcome
number of participants still employed
Time frame: 2 years
Talking to Employers and Medical Staff About Work (TEAMWork) the mobile application (app) is designed to educate patients and improve their communication skills with their employers and their oncology providers, thereby increasing access to work accommodations and optimizing symptom control during treatment. By increasing patients" ability to work during treatment, we believe the app will help them retain their jobs.
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 12 Jun 2026.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 36192754Blinder VS, Patil S, Finik J, Makower D, Muppidi M, Lichtenthal WG, Parker PA, Claros M, Suarez J, Narang B, Gany F. An interactive mobile application versus an educational booklet to promote job retention in women undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2022 Oct 3;23(1):840. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06580-7.
- 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.
Francesca Gany, M.D., M.Sc. contact
Victoria Blinder, M.D., M.Sc. principal investigator
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
9 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing TEAMWork App and Information Booklet in people with Breast Cancer, run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 9 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 33 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 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 9 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?
Contact Victoria Blinder, M.D., M.Sc. (646-888-4808, blinderv@mskcc.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
number of participants still employed (time frame: 2 years). 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 NCT03572374, which also lists 1 linked publication.
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 12 Jun 2026.