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Breast CancerPhase 1/2NCT03953326

HeartPhone Cancer Survivors Trial 2019

A Phase 1/2 study testing HeartPhone app, Acetylcholine and Sodium Nitroprusside in people with Breast Cancer and Leukemia, run by Penn State University at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

This is a behavioral study that will examine changes in physical activity and vascular health in response to a digital tool (app) that will appear on participant's lock screen of their Android phone. Participants will be asked to use this app for 3 months and to wear a Fitbit device continuously throughout the study. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 years
Conditions the study is for
Breast Cancer, Leukemia, Lymphoma
What is being tested?
HeartPhone app, Acetylcholine and Sodium Nitroprusside
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
2 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
23 Apr 2019to 31 Dec 2020
Phase
Phase 1/2
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 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age 18-65 years
  • Diagnosis of breast cancer, leukemia, or lymphoma <15 yrs
  • Completed chemotherapy with cardiotoxic anthracycline-based agents 1+ year ago
  • English-proficiency
  • Own \& use smartphone with Android operating system
  • Main Study and Ancillary Study Exclusion Criteria:
Show all 17Show fewer
  • Currently receiving curative treatment for cancer
  • 90+ min/week moderate (or greater) intensity PA
  • Any medical contraindications on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire
  • Require an assistive device for mobility or has any other condition that may limit or prevent participation in moderate-intensity physical activity
  • Current smoker
  • Pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the next 6 mos/breastfeeding
  • Allergy to test substances
  • Allergy to latex
  • Ancillary Study:
  • Taking metformin
  • Current medications that could conceivably alter the cardiovascular or thermoregulatory control or responses (e.g. beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers)

Who cannot join

None listed.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • The Pennsylvania State University

    University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Digital Intervention to Promote Physical Activity and Improve Cardiovascular Health Among Cancer Survivors

This is a behavioral study that will examine changes in physical activity and vascular health in response to a digital tool (app) that will appear on participant's lock screen of their Android phone. Participants will be asked to use this app for 3 months and to wear a Fitbit device continuously throughout the study. Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires, participate in fitness testing and measures of cardiovascular health at 3 months and 6 months after baseline assessments. The hypothesis is that exposure to the app will lead to increased physical activity volume and improved microvessel function.

Being tested
HeartPhone app, Acetylcholine, Sodium Nitroprusside, L-Arginine, N2-((4-Methylphenyl)Sulfonyl)-, Methyl Ester
Medical subject headings
Breast Neoplasms, Leukemia, Lymphoma

What participants receive

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

  • HeartPhone appBehavioural

    Evaluative conditioning (temporally distributed micro-doses presented upon activation of smartphone screen)

  • AcetylcholineDrug

    Endothelium-dependent vasodilation is tested with the localized delivery of the neurotransmitter

  • Sodium NitroprussideDrug

    Endothelium-independent vasodilation is tested with the localized delivery of the nitric oxide donor

  • L-Arginine, N2-((4-Methylphenyl)Sulfonyl)-, Methyl EsterDrug

    This nitric oxide inhibitor is continuously given during the localized delivery of the endothelium-dependent agonist acetycholine.

Study groups in NCT03953326
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
HeartPhone InterventionExperimentalParticipants install the HeartPhone app on their smartphone. This app presents an image on a splash screen every time they activate their device. The image is randomly drawn from an image bank in the app. Repeated exposure to the image is designed to condition a more favorable automatic affective evaluation of physical activity and lead to increased physical activity.
Receives: Behavioral: HeartPhone app; Drug: Acetylcholine; Drug: Sodium Nitroprusside; Drug: L-Arginine, N2-((4-Methylphenyl)Sulfonyl)-, Methyl Ester

What is being measured

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

  1. Installation of the Heartphone Application.

    Change in the total physical activity volume from baseline to 3 months as measured by the Actigraph GT3XP-BTLE (total activity counts)

    Measured: 3 months

  2. Installation of the Heartphone Application.

    Change in the total physical activity volume from baseline to 3 and 6 month as measured by the Actigraph GT3XP-BTLE (total activity counts).

    Measured: 6 months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted16 May 2019
  2. Study start23 Apr 2019
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2020
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2020

Why it stopped: Futility in recruitment

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 1/2
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Model description
Single-group pre-post change
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
2 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03953326
Sponsor's protocol ID
00011271
Status last verified
Feb 2026
First submitted
13 May 2019
Last updated
27 Feb 2026
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1/2 study testing HeartPhone app, Acetylcholine and Sodium Nitroprusside in people with Breast Cancer and Leukemia, run by Penn State University at 1 site in United States.

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 17 inclusion and 0 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Feb 2026. 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 United States. 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.

What does this combined phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 27 Feb 2026). 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?

Installation of the Heartphone Application. (time frame: 3 months). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 27 Feb 2026.

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