CancerNCT07584824
Is the 1939 Cancer Act Fit for Purpose in the Modern Technology Era?
An observational study of Cancer and Cancer (Active Cancer, Meaning Not Being Cancer Free), of Any Stage and Involving Any Treatment/Care Regimen; i.e. Curative, Life-extending, or Palliative, run by Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust at 1 site in United Kingdom.
Trial summary
The 1939 Cancer Act in the UK (England \& Wales) prohibits advertising of cancer treatments to the public, by anyone but the NHS. The rise of the internet and social media presents new challenges to its enforcement and raises questions about unintended consequences for patients being treated for cancer. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Cancer, Cancer (Active Cancer, Meaning Not Being Cancer Free), of Any Stage and Involving Any Treatment/Care Regimen; i.e. Curative, Life-extending, or Palliative, Cancer (Solid Tumors)
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited Kingdom
- Study dates
- 9 Jan 2026to 30 May 2026
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Adults geographically resident in England or Wales, who have recent experience in receiving or providing cancer treatment.
Who may be able to join
- Patients/Relatives:
- UK residents (England and Wales ONLY).
- Have been treated for a cancer within the last three years.
- Aged 18 or over.
- Can complete the survey themselves or have it completed on their behalf by a friend or family member (with the patient's permission).
- Healthcare Professionals:
Show all 10Show fewer
- UK-based professionals in the healthcare industry.
- Working with patients diagnosed with cancer.
- Consulting with patients at least once a month or more frequently.
- Aged 18 or over.
Who cannot join
- No explicit exclusion criteria are defined within provided materials, therefore any individual not meeting the inclusion criteria will be excluded.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United Kingdom1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust
Truro
RCHT Sponsor RCHT Sponsor, 01872 255117 ext. 01872 255117, rcht.sponsor@nhs.net
About this study
The 1939 Cancer Act in the UK (England \& Wales) prohibits advertising of cancer treatments to the public, by anyone but the NHS. The rise of the internet and social media presents new challenges to its enforcement and raises questions about unintended consequences for patients being treated for cancer.
Through anonymous surveys, this study aims to understand how patients, healthcare professionals and industry professionals perceive technological changes and their implications for online and social media cancer care information, as well as highlight opportunities for safe and ethical modernisation.
Read the detailed description
This study will be inviting patients who have recently received treatment for cancer to participate in a single survey, about their experiences of online and social media information during their cancer journey and their views on the current law. Healthcare professionals who work with cancer patients will also be invited to participate in their own variation of this survey.
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Patient participants- UK residents (England and Wales ONLY). | * Aged 18 or over. * Have been treated for a cancer within the last three years. * Can complete the survey themselves or have it completed on their behalf by a friend or family member (with the patient's permission). | |
| Healthcare Professionals (UK-based professionals in the healthcare industry.) | * Aged 18 or over. * Working with patients diagnosed with cancer. * Consulting with patients at least once a month or more frequently. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Is the 1939 Cancer Act fit for purpose in the current digital era?
The survey uses factual single-choice items, multiple-response items and mainly Likert-scale attitude questions.
Themes of questions and reported outcomes are:
- Current use of online information for cancer: report descriptively.
- Reasons for not using online/social media information. Report proportions and themes of free-text question.
- Private healthcare information access. Report descriptively.
Following outcomes will have numerically-codes Likert scales with report of mean and standard deviation:
- Perceived adequacy of cancer information
- Confidence in evaluating online cancer information
- Attitudes toward the Cancer Act 1939. Support for modernising the Cancer Act, Attitudes toward direct-to-patient advertising and advertising of alternative treatments
- Views on digital misinformation issues
Overall view on reform. Assesses whether the Cancer Act needs reform; treat as an ordinal outcome with statistical testing (Kruskall Wallis test, P value, SD).
Measured: The study will be open for 6 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted13 May 2026
- Study start9 Jan 2026
- Primary completion30 May 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 May 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for CancerStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Warwick
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07584824
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2526.RCHT.19 - V1.1
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 28 Apr 2026
- Last updated
- 13 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Is the 1939 Cancer Act Fit for Purpose in the Modern Technology Era?
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07584824
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2526.RCHT.19 - V1.1
- Conditions
- Cancer, Cancer (Active Cancer, Meaning Not Being Cancer Free), of Any Stage and Involving Any Treatment/Care Regimen; i.e. Curative, Life-extending, or Palliative, Cancer (Solid Tumors), Cancer (With or Without Metastasis), Cancer (Advanced Stage)
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals TrustUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Warwick
- Study start
- 9 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 May 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 May 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 13 May 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The 1939 Cancer Act in the UK (England \& Wales) prohibits advertising of cancer treatments to the public, by anyone but the NHS. The rise of the internet and social media presents new challenges to its enforcement and raises questions about unintended consequences for patients being treated for cancer.
Through anonymous surveys, this study aims to understand how patients, healthcare professionals and industry professionals perceive technological changes and their implications for online and social media cancer care information, as well as highlight opportunities for safe and ethical modernisation.
Detailed description
This study will be inviting patients who have recently received treatment for cancer to participate in a single survey, about their experiences of online and social media information during their cancer journey and their views on the current law. Healthcare professionals who work with cancer patients will also be invited to participate in their own variation of this survey.
Study design
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Patient participants- UK residents (England and Wales ONLY). | – | –* Aged 18 or over. * Have been treated for a cancer within the last three years. * Can complete the survey themselves or have it completed on their behalf by a friend or family member (with the patient's permission). |
| Healthcare Professionals (UK-based professionals in the healthcare industry.) | – | –* Aged 18 or over. * Working with patients diagnosed with cancer. * Consulting with patients at least once a month or more frequently. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Adults geographically resident in England or Wales, who have recent experience in receiving or providing cancer treatment.
Key inclusion criteria (10 listed)
- UK residents (England and Wales ONLY).
- Have been treated for a cancer within the last three years.
- Aged 18 or over.
- Can complete the survey themselves or have it completed on their behalf by a friend or family member (with the patient's permission).
- UK-based professionals in the healthcare industry.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- No explicit exclusion criteria are defined within provided materials, therefore any individual not meeting the inclusion criteria will be excluded.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Is the 1939 Cancer Act fit for purpose in the current digital era?
Time frame: The study will be open for 6 months
The survey uses factual single-choice items, multiple-response items and mainly Likert-scale attitude questions. Themes of questions and reported outcomes are: * Current use of online information for cancer: report descriptively. * Reasons for not using online/social media information. Report proportions and themes of free-text question. * Private healthcare information access. Report descriptively. Following outcomes will have numerically-codes Likert scales with report of mean and standard deviation: * Perceived adequacy of cancer information * Confidence in evaluating online cancer information * Attitudes toward the Cancer Act 1939. Support for modernising the Cancer Act, Attitudes toward direct-to-patient advertising and advertising of alternative treatments * Views on digital misinformation issues Overall view on reform. Assesses whether the Cancer Act needs reform; treat as an ordinal outcome with statistical testing (Kruskall Wallis test, P value, SD).
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 13 May 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Cancer and Cancer (Active Cancer, Meaning Not Being Cancer Free), of Any Stage and Involving Any Treatment/Care Regimen; i.e. Curative, Life-extending, or Palliative, run by Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust at 1 site 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 10 inclusion and 1 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 May 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 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Is the 1939 Cancer Act fit for purpose in the current digital era? (time frame: The study will be open for 6 months). 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 13 May 2026.