CommunicationNCT07663539
Insights From Bereaved Parents and Oncologists
An observational study of Communication, run by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Investigators want to find better ways for doctors and families to talk about cancer and how uncertainty may affect a child's life. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Communication
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 9 Jul 2026to Dec 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
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Parents who have lost a child to cancer and the doctors who treated them.
Who may be able to join
- All participants must be ≥ 18 years of age or legally emancipated
- Parent Participants must have a child who:
- Received cancer care from a clinician at St. Jude, as documented in the electronic medical record, AND
- Died at least 6 months prior to enrollment, but no more than 24 months prior to enrollment.
- Oncologist participants at St. Jude must:
- Be listed as the primary oncologist as documented in the electronic medical record, AND
- Have the respective patient's parent agreement to participate in the study.
Who cannot join
- Declining, refusal, or unwillingness to participate
- Inability or unwillingness of research participant to give informed consent.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis, Tennessee, 38105
Stephanie Gehle, MD, 888-226-4343, referralinfo@stjude.org
Stephanie Gehle, MD
About this study
Official title: Foundations of Communication in Uncertainty Study (FOCUS): Insights From Bereaved Parents and Oncologists
Investigators want to find better ways for doctors and families to talk about cancer and how uncertainty may affect a child's life.
Read the detailed description
Primary Objective
- To characterize how bereaved parents of children with cancer and their child's oncologist perceive their experience with communication about prognostic uncertainty during the child's cancer journey and during bereavement.
Secondary Objective
- To elicit parents' and oncologists' preferences and recommendations for how clinicians should talk with children and families about prognosis in the setting of uncertainty.
This study aims to explore bereaved parents' and oncologists' reflections on communication about prognostic uncertainty during the child's cancer treatment. Parents who have lost a child to cancer and the doctors who treated them will be invited to join this study.
Participants who opt to participate in the study will engage in an audio recorded semi-structured interview with a researcher, virtually or in person (at their discretion) to share their perspectives and recommendations based on their experience. Throughout the interview, the interviewer has the option to ask additional questions (i.e., probe with questions not in the interview guide) to respond to comments made by the participant and honor the topics of interest to that given participant. The participant will be provided an opportunity to add any details or comments at the end of the interview if he/she would like to share additional information.
Following completion of the qualitative portion of the interview, the researcher will ask the participant several questions from a demographic form. The demographic form will include questions related to participant age, race/ethnicity, state/country of residence for bereaved parents, and years of clinical practice for oncologists.
- Conditions
- Communication
- Keywords
- Prognostic Uncertainty, Bereaved Parents, Oncologist
- Medical subject headings
- Communication
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Parent Participants | Parents who have lost a child to cancer | |
| Oncologist Participants | St. Jude doctors who treated the child |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Bereaved parents of children with cancer and oncologists reflections on communication about prognostic uncertainty during the child's cancer treatment
The analysis plan for this study is to apply reflexive thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke, involving the following six step process: 1. Familiarization with the data, 2. Generating initial codes, 3. Generating initial themes, 4. Reviewing themes, 5. Refining, defining, and naming themes, 6. Writing up a narrative of results. Investigators will conduct individual interviews with participants and code transcripts independently to identify salient themes from each cohort, subsequently compare codes across cohorts to explore and characterize areas of convergence and divergence and use a matrix approach to facilitate this comparative analysis.
Interviews will be recorded, transcribed, and de-identified prior to analysis. MAXQDA, a sophisticated qualitative analysis software system, will be used to conduct and synthesize analysis.
Measured: Approximately 1-3 weeks after enrollment.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Jun 2026
- Study start9 Jul 2026
- Primary completionDec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for CommunicationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by St. Jude Children's Research HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Stephanie Gehle, MD, Principal investigator, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07663539
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- FOCUS
- Other IDs
- NCI-2026-05231
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 16 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 28 Jul 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 28 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Foundations of Communication in Uncertainty Study (FOCUS): Insights From Bereaved Parents and Oncologists
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07663539
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- FOCUS
- Conditions
- Communication
- Keywords
- Prognostic Uncertainty, Bereaved Parents, Oncologist
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- St. Jude Children's Research HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 9 Jul 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 23 Jun 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.
Investigators want to find better ways for doctors and families to talk about cancer and how uncertainty may affect a child's life.
Detailed description
Primary Objective
- To characterize how bereaved parents of children with cancer and their child's oncologist perceive their experience with communication about prognostic uncertainty during the child's cancer journey and during bereavement.
Secondary Objective
- To elicit parents' and oncologists' preferences and recommendations for how clinicians should talk with children and families about prognosis in the setting of uncertainty.
This study aims to explore bereaved parents' and oncologists' reflections on communication about prognostic uncertainty during the child's cancer treatment. Parents who have lost a child to cancer and the doctors who treated them will be invited to join this study.
Participants who opt to participate in the study will engage in an audio recorded semi-structured interview with a researcher, virtually or in person (at their discretion) to share their perspectives and recommendations based on their experience. Throughout the interview, the interviewer has the option to ask additional questions (i.e., probe with questions not in the interview guide) to respond to comments made by the participant and honor the topics of interest to that given participant. The participant will be provided an opportunity to add any details or comments at the end of the interview if he/she would like to share additional information.
Following completion of the qualitative portion of the interview, the researcher will ask the participant several questions from a demographic form. The demographic form will include questions related to participant age, race/ethnicity, state/country of residence for bereaved parents, and years of clinical practice for oncologists.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Parent Participants | – | –Parents who have lost a child to cancer |
| Oncologist Participants | – | –St. Jude doctors who treated the child |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Parents who have lost a child to cancer and the doctors who treated them.
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- All participants must be ≥ 18 years of age or legally emancipated
- Parent Participants must have a child who:
- Oncologist participants at St. Jude must:
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Declining, refusal, or unwillingness to participate
- Inability or unwillingness of research participant to give informed consent.
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
Bereaved parents of children with cancer and oncologists reflections on communication about prognostic uncertainty during the child's cancer treatment
Time frame: Approximately 1-3 weeks after enrollment.
The analysis plan for this study is to apply reflexive thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke, involving the following six step process: 1. Familiarization with the data, 2. Generating initial codes, 3. Generating initial themes, 4. Reviewing themes, 5. Refining, defining, and naming themes, 6. Writing up a narrative of results. Investigators will conduct individual interviews with participants and code transcripts independently to identify salient themes from each cohort, subsequently compare codes across cohorts to explore and characterize areas of convergence and divergence and use a matrix approach to facilitate this comparative analysis. Interviews will be recorded, transcribed, and de-identified prior to analysis. MAXQDA, a sophisticated qualitative analysis software system, will be used to conduct and synthesize analysis.
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 28 Jul 2026.
- St. Jude Children's Research HospitalLink provided by the sponsor.
- Clinical Trials Open at St. JudeLink provided by the sponsor.
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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.
Stephanie Gehle, MD principal investigator
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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 Communication, run by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 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 7 inclusion and 2 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 28 Jul 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.
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?
Contact Stephanie Gehle, MD (888-226-4343, referralinfo@stjude.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Bereaved parents of children with cancer and oncologists reflections on communication about prognostic uncertainty during the child's cancer treatment (time frame: Approximately 1-3 weeks after enrollment.). 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 28 Jul 2026.