WHAT
Researchers with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and collaborating organizations will be studying how new technology can help cancer patients manage symptoms and related stress from cancer treatment while at home, under a five-year, $3.5-million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The grant, titled “Managing symptoms and psychological distress during oral anti-cancer treatment,” is part of NIH’s Oncology Research Program that focuses on moving research from cancer centers to the community.
WHO
Tracy Crane, PhD, RDN, Sylvester’s director of Lifestyle Medicine, Prevention and Digital Health, is one of three principal investigators for this upcoming study. Her collaborators are Alla Sikorskii, PhD at Michigan State University and Terry Badger, PhD, from the University of Arizona.
WHY
“More and more of the care provided by the nation’s cancer centers is moving into patient homes,” explained Crane, who also serves as co-lead of Cancer Control at Sylvester. “For example, patients in this study will be those taking oral chemotherapy drugs at home rather than intravenously in the hospital, and we’re looking at managing their cancer therapy-related toxicities at home, using a technology we developed at Sylvester.”
WHERE
Study participants will be recruited from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico when enrollment opens next spring. Enrollment will be coordinated by the National Cancer Institute’s Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP).
HOW
Crane and her research team will manage the study’s digital-intervention component, an automated, interactive voice-response system that is part of the University of Miami’s proprietary software platform called My Wellness Research. This platform incorporates health data from wearable devices and leverages machine learning to gain valuable insights into patient well-being. The platform’s voice-activated system makes phone calls to patients to inquire about their symptoms and any side effects from cancer therapy, as well as psychosocial concerns such as anxiety and depression. Calls can occur in English or Spanish, depending on patient preference.
All participants will get weekly calls to track symptoms for reporting to the clinical care team, and random clinics will offer patients a symptom-support intervention.
“We’ll be testing whether patients who are offered the intervention have better symptom management,” Crane said, “as well as surveying cancer center providers to determine if the technology saves them time by reducing patient calls and messages requiring follow-up.”
WHAT ELSE
This study’s digital intervention evolved from a Sylvester patient booklet called the Symptom Management Handbook. Crane, who helped develop the handbook, has been a co-investigator on three trials testing it as a viable intervention.
“Previously, we would call patients to ask about their symptoms, and then refer them to specific handbook sections for guidance on symptom management,” Crane explained. “In this trial, we will remove the personnel task of making calls and the referrals will occur via the voice-response system.”
SUMMARY COMMENTS
“This is an exciting time for patient care as it’s quickly moving from the hospital to the home,” said Crane. “With the automated system in our study, we may discover that we can be more responsive to the needs of more patients, especially those in outlying or underserved areas.”
Read more about this study on the InventUm blog.
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