About this trial
In this randomized behavioral intervention, head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors and their caregivers (N=176 HNC survivor-caregiver dyads) will be randomized to either Survivorship Needs Assessment Planning (SNAP) or Usual Care (UC) groups to examine the effects of SNAP on outcomes. SNAP includes two sessions with a needs assessment and tailored care plan and a supportive mobile app after completion of radiation to promote uptake of recommended medical and supportive care. The study aims to evaluate the effects of SNAP on symptom severity in patients and caregiver burden in caregivers. Secondary outcomes include psychological distress (anxiety and depression), healthcare utilization (receipt of recommended care) and unmet needs and self-efficacy in HNC survivor-caregiver dyads. Participants will complete surveys at baseline, 6 months, and 9 months post randomization with validated PROMs, and receive intervention modules at the end of radiation and month 3. Participants in the SNAP group will also receive mobile app support.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
Age >18
Stage I-IV non-metastatic HNC (i.e., lip/oral cavity, nasopharynx, salivary gland, oropharynx, hypopharynx, paranasal sinus, larynx and cutaneous cancers)
Currently receiving radiation treatment (with/without surgery and/or concurrent chemotherapy) with curative intent
Able to nominate caregiver, the primary support person, also interested in participating
Disqualifiers
Patients who do not read/understand English
Patients who are cognitively impaired and cannot complete interviews as judged by the referring health care provider
Excised and cured non-melanoma skin cancer
Carcinoma in situ of breast or cervix
Trial design
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Survivorship Needs Assessment Planning (SNAP) tool
BehavioralSNAP includes 2 educational survivorship modules for caregivers and survivors. There are 3 main elements: needs assessment, a tailored care plan and a mobile support app. SNAP uses pre-specified categories of needs, resources, and messaging "behind the scenes" to automate the identification, rating and management of high priority needs. Generated tailored care plans include referrals, messages and educational materials mapped to prioritized dyad-reported concerns addressing survivorship domains (diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care). Care plans and referrals are reviewed with an Advanced Practice Provider. Barriers to uptake are addressed, goal-oriented action planning is refined with brief mobile app training. Dyads receive a personalized binder with care plan, referrals, and an action plan. Dyads receive e-monitoring for 6 weeks to check in and identify barriers with algorithm-driven messaging to reinforce progress, provide further resources and encouragement.
Treatment groups
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
Change from baseline in Caregiver Burden at 9 months post randomization
Caregivers report the extent to which caregiving impacts time, responsibilities, and strain utilizing the Zarit Burden Inventory. Caregivers rate each item on a 5-point Likert scale (0=Never to 4=Always); higher scores (0-16) indicate greater burden. An increase in change from baseline to 6 week, 6 months or 9 months follow up visit would increased caregiver distress; likewise a decrease in change would indicate reduced caregiver distress. Cronbach's alphas in previous research range from 0.81-0.83.
Change from baseline in Symptom Severity in head and neck cancer survivors at 9 months post randomization
Symptom burden in survivors will be assessed with the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck Cancer Module (MDASI-HN) The MDASI -HN includes 13 core items and an additional 9 head and neck cancer module items which calculates a total score of symptom severity. The MDASI assesses the severity of symptoms at their worst in the last 24 hours on a 0-10 Numeric Rating Scale, with 0 being "not present" and 10 being "as bad as you can imagine." Core items and module symptom items are averaged into a mean module severity. A higher score always indicates an increase in severity. A decrease in change from baseline to 9-month assessment indicates improvement of symptoms. Cronbach's alphas in previous research range from 0.88-0.92.
Secondary outcomes
Change from baseline in Depression for Caregivers at 9 months post randomization
Depression in Caregivers will be assessed with the PROMIS Depression- SF v1.0 form 8A. Respondents are asked how often in the past 7 days they have experienced specific depression symptoms, using a 5-point ordinal rating scale whereby 1= "Never," 5="Always." A higher score indicates higher depression. Raw score totals are converted to an item response theory-based T-scores. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10 with a range of 38.2 to 81.3. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean. A decrease in change from baseline to 9 month assessment indicates reduced depression. Cronbach's alphas in previous research = 0.97 for anxiety and depression.
Change from baseline in Anxiety for Caregivers at 9 months post randomization
Anxiety in Caregivers will be assessed with the PROMIS Short Form v1.0 - Anxiety 8a. Respondents are asked how often in the past 7 days they have experienced specific anxiety symptoms, using a 5-point ordinal rating scale whereby 1= "Never," 5="Always." A higher score indicates higher anxiety. Raw score totals are converted to an item response theory-based T-scores. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10 with a range of 38.2 to 81.3. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean. A decrease in change from baseline to 9 month assessment indicates reduced anxiety. Cronbach's alphas in previous research = 0.97 for anxiety and depression.
Change from baseline in Depression for Survivors at 9 months post randomization
Depression in Survivors will be assessed with the PROMIS Depression- SF v1.0 form 8A . Respondents are asked how often in the past 7 days they have experienced specific depression symptoms, using a 5-point ordinal rating scale whereby 1= "Never," 5="Always." A higher score indicates higher depression. Raw score totals are converted to an item response theory-based T-scores. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10 with a range of 38.2 to 81.3. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean. A decrease in change from baseline to 9 month assessment indicates reduced depression. Cronbach's alphas in previous research = 0.97 for anxiety and depression.
Change from baseline in Anxiety for Survivors at 9 months post randomization
Anxiety in Survivors will be assessed with the PROMIS Short Form v1.0 - Anxiety 8a. Respondents are asked how often in the past 7 days they have experienced specific anxiety symptoms, using a 5-point ordinal rating scale whereby 1= "Never," 5="Always." A higher score indicates higher anxiety. Raw score totals are converted to an item response theory-based T-scores. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10 with a range of 38.2 to 81.3. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean. A decrease in change from baseline to 9 month assessment indicates reduced anxiety. Cronbach's alphas in previous research = 0.97 for anxiety and depression.
Sponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Medical University of South Carolina
Lead sponsor
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Collaborator
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Collaborator