Recruiting

Talking About Cancer

Sponsor:

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Code:

NCT07141407

Conditions

Advanced Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Supportive Care

Telephone-Based Intervention

Survey Administration

Educational Intervention

Study Details

Brief summary:

This clinical trial studies whether telephone-based coaching sessions, Talking About Cancer (TAC), work to improve engagement in advance care planning (ACP) in patients with cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) and their support person. Participation in ACP, which includes having end of life (EOL) care conversations and completing advance directives (e.g., living will, health care proxy, do not resuscitate order), improves quality EOL care. Despite this, less than half of patients with advanced cancer have EOL care conversations or complete advance directives. TAC coaching sessions are delivered by a social worker over the phone. They are designed to help patients and their support person communicate about ACP, manage the distress these conversations can cause, and participate in the process of ACP with a clear action plan of having goals-of-care conversations and completing advance directives. This may be an effective way to improve ACP participation in advanced cancer patients and their support person.

Conditions

Advanced Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm

Study ID

NCT07141407

Start date

Apr 8, 2026

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Jan 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • PATIENT: Current diagnosis of stage III or IV cancer
  • PATIENT: Able to provide informed consent
  • PATIENT: Fluent in English or Spanish
  • PATIENT: Have access to a telephone, computer, or mobile device
  • CAREGIVER (SUPPORT PERSON): Person patient indicates provides support
  • CAREGIVER (SUPPORT PERSON): English or Spanish speaking
  • CAREGIVER (SUPPORT PERSON): 18 years of age or older
  • CAREGIVER (SUPPORT PERSON): Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • PATIENT: Too ill or weak to complete the interviews (as judged by the interviewer)
  • PATIENT: Receiving hospice at the time of enrollment
  • PATIENT: Younger than age 18

Study Design

Enrollment

80 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Supportive Care

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Arm I (TAC sessions)

Participants attend Talking About Cancer (TAC) telephone-based coaching sessions (2 sessions) designed to support participants in communicating about advance care planning (ACP), managing distress around ACP conversations, engaging in the process of ACP, and completing advance directives over 45-60 minutes each once a week (QW) for 2 weeks.

active comparator: Arm II (enhanced usual care)

Participants receive an ACP brochure/handout on study.

Interventions

Supportive Care

Attend TAC telephone-based coaching sessions

Telephone-Based Intervention

Attend TAC telephone-based coaching sessions

Survey Administration

Ancillary studies

Educational Intervention

Receive an ACP brochure/handout

Primary outcome measure

  • Enrollment rate (Feasibility) [ Time Frame: At 6-weeks post-randomization ]
  • Intervention session completion rate (Feasibility) [ Time Frame: At 6-weeks post-randomization ]
  • Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) score (Acceptability) [ Time Frame: At 6-weeks post-randomization ]
  • Completion rate of study assessments (Feasibility of collecting primary and secondary outcomes) [ Time Frame: At baseline, 6-weeks post- randomization, and 12-weeks post-randomization ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Megan Shen, PhD

206-667-4172mshen2@fredhutch.org

Locations

Providence Regional Cancer Partnership

Recruiting

Everett, Washington, United States, 98201

Principal Investigator:

Megan Bannister, MSW, LSWAIC

Skagit Regional Health Cancer Care Center

Recruiting

Mount Vernon, Washington, United States, 98274

Principal Investigator:

Kiarash Kojouri, MD

Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium

Recruiting

Seattle, Washington, United States, 98109

Contacts

Megan Shen, PhD

206-667-4172mshen2@fredhutch.org

Principal Investigator:

Megan Shen, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Last update posted

Aug 25, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center on 2026-08-25.