NCT00578006

Internet-based System for Cancer Patients to Self-report Toxicity

Pilot Study of STAR, an Internet-based System for Cancer Patients to Self-report Toxicity Symptoms, Performance Status, and Quality of Life

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1,007 (actual)
• Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Cancer patients may develop side effects during treatment, such as nausea, pain, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, or shortness of breath. These symptoms may be due to the cancer itself, or due to treatments like chemotherapy drugs or radiation therapy. Doctors and nurses often ask patients about their symptoms, because an important part of cancer treatment is to make patients feel as well as possible. If patients do not feel well, the investigators may need to change the way the investigators are treating you or prescribe therapies that will decrease your symptoms. The best way to find out how you are feeling is to ask you directly. However, during your time between appointments the investigators may not be able to ask you how you are feeling on a regular basis. In addition, even at an appointment, there may be symptoms that the investigators do not have a chance to discuss. The investigators are interested in developing new ways to ask patients about how they are feeling, using the Internet. A special new website called STAR ("Symptom Tracking and Reporting for Patients") has been developed to help patients record this information, so that their doctors and nurses can review it during clinic appointments. This study is designed to help us see if STAR is a helpful way for us to keep track of information about patients' symptoms and quality of life.

Detailed description

This pilot study will assess patient use of STAR (Symptom Tracking and Reporting for Patients), an online system designed for cancer patients to self-record toxicity-related symptoms based on NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v3.0, performance status by ECOG criteria, global quality of life by the EuroQOL 5-D assessment tool, emergency room visits, and survival. Secondary outcomes will include patient assessment of the usefulness of STAR, clinician perceptions of the potential value of STAR in routine clinical practice, and an evaluation of whether STAR improves the patient experience of care as assessed by satisfaction measures.

Conditions

• Cervical Cancer
• Lung Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Vaginal Cancer
• Ovarian Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Bladder Cancer

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Questioners	The investigators will ask you to fill out a brief paper questionnaire periodically to tell us how you are feeling, and how satisfied you are with your care.
BEHAVIORAL	STAR website	You can report your symptoms every time you come to Sloan-Kettering for an appointment or chemotherapy.

Timeline

• Start date: 2004-03-01
• Primary completion: 2017-01-01
• Completion: 2017-01-01
• First posted: 2007-12-20
• Last updated: 2017-01-10

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States