The NCCN Oncology Research Program (ORP) strives to improve the quality of life for patients and reduce cancer-related deaths by advancing cancer therapies through research. Since the program’s establishment in 1999, the NCCN ORP has brought millions of dollars in research grants to investigators at NCCN Member Institutions. Research grants are provided to NCCN through collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies; these grants are in turn used to support scientifically meritorious cancer research efforts.
NCCN ORP studies typically explore new avenues of clinical investigation and seek answers to important cancer-related questions. All studies are approved and funded through a scientific peer-review process and are overseen by the ORP.
This feature highlights an NCCN study funded through the grant mechanism.
SyMPLER: Patient- and Caregiver-Triggered Palliative Referrals via an Electronic Symptom Monitoring Program
Principal Investigator: Julia Agne, MD; 2023 NCCN Foundation® Young Investigator Award Recipient
Condition: Thoracic malignancies
Institution: The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
This prospective exploratory pilot study is being conducted at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC). The project aims to develop and implement a remote electronic symptom monitoring program with a prompted option for palliative care self-referral for patients with a thoracic malignancy or their caregiver by proxy. The goal is to help researchers learn how an electronic symptom monitoring program may provide an earlier and more accessible approach for patients with thoracic cancer to receive palliative care.
Target enrollment for the study will include 94 patients and at least 63 caregivers. Patients aged ≥18 years with any stage or type of thoracic malignancy (non–small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma, thymic carcinoma) will be recruited after having established care (>1 visit) with a medical oncologist at the OSUCCC Thoracic Oncology Clinic. Patients will be enrolled within 12 weeks of their first thoracic medical oncology appointment. Patient participants will be asked to identify a primary caregiver who will be approached and consented separately for study participation. Patients can also be enrolled without a caregiver.
Primary Objective:
• Develop and assess feasibility of a remote electronic symptom monitoring program with a prompted option for palliative care self-referral for patients or caregivers by proxy after diagnosis of a thoracic malignancy
Secondary and Exploratory Objective:
• Evaluate palliative care referral patterns after implementation of a remote electronic symptom monitoring program
Contact: The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center • 800-293-5066
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06396598
