Pilot Trial of Virtual and In-person STEP2

Launched by UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK, TORONTO · Mar 15, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called the Pilot Trial of Virtual and In-person STEP2, aims to find out how effective it is to refer cancer patients to a palliative care clinic using online symptom screenings before their regular oncology appointments. Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life and managing symptoms for patients with serious illnesses. The trial will also look into what factors patients think about when deciding whether to visit the palliative care clinic or not.

To participate in this trial, individuals must be at least 18 years old and have advanced cancer, including stage IV cancers or specific earlier-stage cancers like lung or pancreatic. They should have a good enough health status to engage in the study and expect to live for 6 to 36 months. Participants will fill out questionnaires about their quality of life, symptoms, depression, anxiety, and satisfaction with their care at the start and then again at 2, 4, and 6 months. This trial is not yet recruiting participants, but it could be an important step in understanding how to better support cancer patients through palliative care.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • age 18+ years
• • stage IV cancer (stage III or IV for lung or pancreas cancers; hormone-refractory for prostate and ER-positive breast cancers)
• • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2
• • oncologist-estimated prognosis of 6-36 months
• • willingness to complete routine online symptom screening at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • insufficient English literacy to complete study procedures
• • oncologist-determined poor cognitive status
• • already received or currently receiving specialized palliative care