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Head and Neck CancerNCT01167179

Nurse-led Follow-up Care for Head and Neck Cancer Patients

A study testing nurse-led consultation in people with Head and Neck Cancer, run by Radboud University Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to conduct an early evaluation of a nurse-led follow up intervention added to the usual medically oriented follow up care. Besides evaluating the feasibility and acceptability to patients, the effect on psychosocial adjustment and quality of life of patients is determined. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Head and Neck Cancer
What is being tested?
nurse-led consultation
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
160 participants
Where
1 siteNetherlands
Study dates
Dec 2008to May 2012
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Diagnosed with a primary head and neck tumour
  • Absence of other cancers diagnosed
  • Treatment with curative intent, all treatment modalities
  • Treatment and 12 month follow-up planned in Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre
  • Able to speak, write and understand Dutch
  • Cognitively able to give informed consent

Who cannot join

  • Actual psychiatric disease
  • Actual alcohol addiction
  • Known life expectancy of < 6 months

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Netherlands1 site
  • Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre

    Nijmegen, 6500 HB

Other trials in Netherlands

About this study

Official title: Nurse-led Follow-up Care for Head and Neck Cancer Patients: a Quasi-experimental Study

The purpose of this study is to conduct an early evaluation of a nurse-led follow up intervention added to the usual medically oriented follow up care. Besides evaluating the feasibility and acceptability to patients, the effect on psychosocial adjustment and quality of life of patients is determined.

Read the detailed description

Background: After treatment for cancer, follow-up surveillance is regarded important. In head and neck cancer patients however, increasing research evidence shows that at least the goal of detecting recurrence of cancer during routine control visits in an asymptomatic stage is not achieved. Other goals of follow-up such as management of treatment complications and helping patients and families cope and adjust remain important and ask for an accurate, effective but tailored and sensitive approach. Increasingly, nurses are mentioned as care providers best suited to perform this task.

Aim: The purpose of this study is to conduct an early evaluation of a nurse-led follow up intervention added to the usual medically oriented follow up care. Besides evaluating the feasibility and acceptability to patients, the effect on psychosocial adjustment and quality of life of patients is determined.

Methods and design: A quasi-experimental prospective design is used. Two groups of patients are enrolled consecutively (n=160) and patient data are collected at baseline (T0), at 6(T1) and at 12(T2) months respectively. The duration of the intervention is defined to the first year of follow up. Participating nurses are trained prior to the recruitment of the intervention group and receive supervision and individual coaching during the entire duration of the intervention phase.

Outcome measures: Primary outcome, psychosocial adjustment to illness. Secondary outcomes, health related quality of life, psychosocial problems, and usage of care.

Being tested
nurse-led consultation
Keywords
head and neck cancer, nurse-led care, follow-up care, professional-patient relations, psychosocial adjustment, quasi-experimental, prospective, quality of life
Medical subject headings
Head and Neck Neoplasms

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • nurse-led consultationBehavioural

    Also called nurse-led follow-up care

    Content of the intervention The intervention consists of structured and standardised nursing follow up consultations comprising a thorough needs assessment, supportive counseling, adequate referral to other care providers if necessary and improvement of the continuity of follow-up care. The goals of nursing follow-up care are summarised as helping patients (and often their partners too) to cope with the physical and psychosocial consequences of treatment and help them to gradually adjust to 'the life after', and into survivorship.

Study groups in NCT01167179
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
comparison groupNo interventionUsual care Participants in the comparison group receive the usual care which consists of a 5 year medical routine control schedule based on the national guidelines, and - if appropriate - involvement of the dietician and the speech language therapist.During years one to five the routine control appointments are planned at a minimum of every 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12 months respectively. Most patients who undergo a total laryngectomy have additional contact with an oncology nurse during their 6-8 weekly medical control visits at the outpatient clinic for approximately the first year of follow-up. All other head and neck cancer patients have no structured follow-up contact with an oncology nurse.
nurse-led consultationExperimentalInterventional care Year 1 follow-up: 2-monthly medical control visit + 30 minute nursing consultation, to a minimum of 6 in year 1. No restrictions with regard to cancer stage, site or treatment modality. Intervention consist of standardised nursing consultations comprising a thorough needs assessment, supportive counseling, adequate referral to other care providers if necessary and improvement of the continuity of follow-up care. Goals: helping patients (and their partners) cope with the physical and psychosocial consequences of treatment and help them to gradually adjust to 'the life after', and into survivorship.
Receives: Behavioral: nurse-led consultation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness-Scale

    The adaptive psychosocial response of an individual to a significant life change was assessed using the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale -Self Report (PAIS-SR), a 46-item self-report measure that assesses changes in seven domains. A mean PAIS-SR T-score of 50 is the average score for each domain, meaning that patients with this score adjusted neither better nor worse than a mixed cancer reference group, whereas a score lower than 50 indicates better adjustment. The total scale range for the T score is 21-80. The PAIS-SR is well validated and has been used in previous studies of HNC patients.Here, we used the validated Dutch translation.

    Measured: baseline, 6 mo, 12mo

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Quality of Life

    Quality of Life(QoL)was measured with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H\&N35.The EORTC QLQ-C30 contains five functioning scales, a global health status/QoL scale, and nine symptom scales. The QLQ-H\&N35 contains 18 disease-specific symptom scales. All scores in both the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H\&N35 were transformed to a 0-100 scale following instructions in the scoring manual, with higher scores representing better quality of life and less disease-specific symptoms.

    Measured: baseline, 6 mo, 12 mo

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted22 Jul 2010 (estimated)
  2. Study startDec 2008
  3. Primary completionMay 2012
  4. Study completionMay 2012

Resources

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
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
160 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01167179
Sponsor's protocol ID
JDL-001-TVA
Status last verified
May 2017
First submitted
19 Jul 2010
Last updated
15 Dec 2017
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • de Leeuw J, Prins JB, Teerenstra S, Merkx MA, Marres HA, van Achterberg T. Nurse-led follow-up care for head and neck cancer patients: a quasi-experimental prospective trial. Support Care Cancer. 2013 Feb;21(2):537-47. doi: 10.1007/s00520-012-1553-1. Epub 2012 Aug 4.

    PubMed 22864472

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing nurse-led consultation in people with Head and Neck Cancer, run by Radboud University Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.

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 6 inclusion and 3 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Dec 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Netherlands. 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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 15 Dec 2017). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness-Scale (time frame: baseline, 6 mo, 12mo). 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 NCT01167179, 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 15 Dec 2017.

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