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MelanomaASICANCT03328247

Achieving Self-directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare (ASICA) in Melanoma

A study testing ASICA digital app in people with Melanoma, run by University of Aberdeen at 2 sites in United Kingdom.

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 ASICA study is looking at how the UK National Health Service (NHS) might use technology in the future to more effectively support people who have been treated for melanoma. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Melanoma
What is being tested?
ASICA digital app
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
240 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited Kingdom
Study dates
12 Jan 2018to 31 Mar 2020
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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

  • Adult (≥18)
  • Patients treated for stage 0-2C cutaneous melanoma within the preceding 24 months

Who cannot join

  • Stage 3 and 4 melanoma.
  • Previous local recurrence of melanoma within last 24 months.
  • Patients who are unable to consent and/or complete questionnaires (e.g. due to cognitive or language issues).
  • Patients who are blind or visually impaired.

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

United Kingdom2 sites
  • University of Aberdeen

    Aberdeen

  • Addenbrookes Hospital

    Cambridge

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

Official title: Achieving Self-directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare (ASICA) in Melanoma: A Randomized Patient-focused Trial of Delivering the ASICA Intervention as a Means to Earlier Detection of Recurrent and Second Primary Melanoma

The ASICA study is looking at how the UK National Health Service (NHS) might use technology in the future to more effectively support people who have been treated for melanoma.

Read the detailed description

All patients who have been treated for melanoma are advised to regularly examine their own skin (total-skin-self-examinations; TSSE) but research has found that many people are not shown how to do this effectively. We are investigating whether a digital app we have developed (ASICA) can help people with melanoma to use a hand-held tablet computer to do more regular and effective TSSE, and whether this would lead to earlier detection of recurrent and new primary melanomas. The ASICA app also uses the internet to enable people to electronically communicate the findings of their TSSE to a specialist nurse. All those who consent to take part in the study will be randomly allocated into one of two groups. One group will use the ASICA app in addition to their normal follow-up, the other group will continue to attend their routine melanoma follow-up only. Participants will be recruited from two UK sites - NHS Grampian and Cambridge University Hospitals.

Conditions
Melanoma
Being tested
ASICA digital app
Medical subject headings
Melanoma

What participants receive

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

  • ASICA digital appOther

    Participants in the intervention arm will be trained to use ASICA (in addition to completing routine follow-up) and participants within the control arm will continue to attend their usual structured melanoma follow-up only. The hypothesis is that the ASICA intervention will increase TSSE practice in those affected by melanoma without affecting psychological well-being and lead to earlier detection of recurrent and new primary melanoma.

Study groups in NCT03328247
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ControlNo interventionControl group will attend their routine melanoma follow-ups
InterventionExperimentalThe intervention group will use the ASICA app in addition to their routine follow-ups
Receives: Other: ASICA digital app

What is being measured

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

  1. The impact of receiving ASICA on cancer worry

    This outcome will be measured using Melanoma Worry Scale (MWS). The scale consists of four questions asking the patients how worried they are about getting melanoma and how this impacts their current lifestyle. The patients choose the answers on a 5-point scale ranging from 'not at all worried' (best answer) to 'worried almost all the time' (worst answer).

    Measured: Up to 12 months following randomisation.

  2. The impact of receiving ASICA on anxiety and depression

    This outcome will be measured using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). HADS was devised to measure anxiety and depression in a general medical population of patients. The questionnaire comprises seven questions for anxiety and seven questions for depression. The patients choose the answers on a 4-point scale ranging from 'not at all' (best answer) to 'all the time' (worst answer). Each item on the questionnaire is scored from 0-3 leading to a score range of 0 and 21 for each subscales (anxiety or depression). For both scales, scores of less than 7 indicate non-cases, scores of 8-10 indicate mild anxiety/depression, scores of 11-14 indicate moderate anxiety/depression, and scores of 15-21 indicate severe anxiety/depression.

    Measured: Up to 12 months following randomisation.

  3. The impact of receiving ASICA quality of life.

    This outcome will be measured using EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. EQ-5D-5L consists of two sections - descriptive system and a visual scale. The descriptive system comprises of five questions about mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Each question has five possible answers ranging from: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems and extreme problems. The patient chooses the most appropriate statement in each of the five questions. This decision results in a 1-digit number that expresses the level selected for that question. The digits for the five dimensions can be combined into a 5-digit number that describes the patient's health state. The higher the number the worse the health state is. The visual scale records the patient's self-rated health on a vertical visual analogue scale, where the endpoints are labelled 'The worst health you can imagine' (score of 0) and 'The best health you can imagine' (score of 100).

    Measured: Up to 12 months following randomisation.

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. The impact of receiving ASICA on detection rate of second primary and recurrent melanoma

    The questionnaire consists of 14 questions asking patients whether they have ever and in the past 12 month checked any part of their skin for signs of skin cancer (yes/no answer). If so, how often (5 point scale ranging from 'zero' to 'more than six times') and which areas of the body were checked. The patients are also asked whether they used a mirror or get help to check difficult to reach areas of their body. The patients are also asked how confident they are about being able to check their own skin. Patients choose the answers on a 10-point scale ranging from 'not at all confident' (worst answer) to 'highly confident' (best answer). The final set of questions ask patients whether they have found anything concerning during their last skin check (yes/no answer) and if so what action was taken by the patient (watched it/showed it to a relative/showed it to a professional) and how quickly (immediately, in few days, in a week, in a month, other).

    Measured: Up to 12 months following randomisation.

  2. The impact of receiving ASICA on adherence to and self-efficacy to conduct TSSE in future

    This outcome will be measured using a questionnaire designed to determine what the patients think about examining their own skin. The questionnaire consists of nine statements about how important it is to patients to check their skin, do they do it regularly, does it make them anxious, whether they feel confident about having their skin checked by a professional, and do they make plans regarding when and where they will have their skin checked. For each statement, patients indicate whether they strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree, or are unsure.

    Measured: Up to 12 months following randomisation.

  3. The impact of receiving ASICA on patterns of UK NHS resource use

    This outcome will be measured using a questionnaire designed to determine whether patients used NHS because of their skin problems. The set of seven questions is about any appointments within the NHS that patients may have had about their skin in the past 12 months. Patients are asked whether they had any appointments with a medical professional (GP/nurse/other) for their skin in the past 12 months (yes/no answer), how many (free text) and at what setting (visit at the practice/visit at home/telephone). Patients are also asked about operations or any other treatment they may have had on their skin in the past 12 months (free text). Patients are also asked to list any prescribed medicines or non-prescribed skin products in the last 12 months and their cost (free text).

    Measured: Up to 12 months following randomisation.

Timeline

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

  1. First posted1 Nov 2017
  2. Study start12 Jan 2018
  3. Primary completion31 Mar 2020
  4. Study completion31 Mar 2020

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
Diagnosis
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
240 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03328247
Sponsor's protocol ID
2-028-17
Acronym
ASICA
Status last verified
Apr 2021
First submitted
23 Oct 2017
Last updated
28 Apr 2021
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Reilly F, Wani N, Hall S, Morgan HM, Allan J, Constable L, Ntessalen M, Murchie P. User Experiences in a Digital Intervention to Support Total Skin Self-examination by Melanoma Survivors: Nested Qualitative Evaluation Embedded in a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Dermatol. 2023 Feb 13;6:e39544. doi: 10.2196/39544.

    PubMed 37632942
  • Ntessalen M, McCorkindale S, Krasniqi A, Morgan HM, Allan JL, Murchie P. Barriers and facilitators of adherence to the use of ASICA, a digital app designed to support people previously treated for melanoma: concise report of a qualitative study. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2023 Nov 16;48(12):1358-1360. doi: 10.1093/ced/llad279.

    PubMed 37611174
  • Murchie P, Constable L, Hall S, Brant W, Allan J, Johnston M, Masthoff J, Lee A, Treweek S, Ayansina D, Proby C, Rahman K, Walter F, Burrows N, Durrani A, Maclennan G. The Achieving Self-directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare Intervention for Detection of Recurrent and Second Primary Melanoma in Survivors of Melanoma: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Cancer. 2022 Sep 8;8(3):e37539. doi: 10.2196/37539.

    PubMed 36074560
  • Allan JL, Johnston DW, Johnston M, Murchie P. Describing, predicting and explaining adherence to total skin self-examination (TSSE) in people with melanoma: a 12-month longitudinal study. BMJ Open. 2022 Aug 30;12(8):e056755. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056755.

    PubMed 36041758
  • Reilly F, Contstable L, Brant W, Rahman K, Durrani A, Burrows N, Proby C, Allan J, Johnston M, Johnston D, Walter F, Murchie P. Achieving integrated self-directed Cancer aftercare (ASICA) for melanoma: how a digital intervention to support total skin self-examination was used by people treated for cutaneous melanoma. BMC Cancer. 2021 Nov 13;21(1):1217. doi: 10.1186/s12885-021-08959-2.

    PubMed 34774015
  • Murchie P, Masthoff J, Walter FM, Rahman K, Allan JL, Burrows N, Proby C, Lee AJ, Johnston M, Durrani A, Depasquale I, Brant B, Neilson A, Meredith F, Treweek S, Hall S, McDonald A. Achieving Self-Directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare (ASICA) in melanoma: protocol for a randomised patient-focused pilot trial of delivering the ASICA intervention as a means to earlier detection of recurrent and second primary melanoma. Trials. 2019 Jun 3;20(1):318. doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3453-x.

    PubMed 31159849

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing ASICA digital app in people with Melanoma, run by University of Aberdeen at 2 sites in United Kingdom.

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 2 inclusion and 4 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 28 Apr 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in United Kingdom. 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?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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?

The impact of receiving ASICA on cancer worry (time frame: Up to 12 months following randomisation.). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. 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 NCT03328247, which also lists 6 linked publications.

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 28 Apr 2021.

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