Safe, comprehensive digital cancer pain care (ASCENT)
Official title: Achieving Safe, Comprehensive, Digitally-Enabled Cancer Pain managemeNT” (ASCENT) Clinical Trial
Funded at Mayo Clinic Rochester · NIH-11187218 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A digital care program aims to help adults with advanced cancer get safer, more complete pain treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | September 6, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,595,294 |
| NIH project number | 5R33CA278594-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11187218 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with advanced cancer who are experiencing cancer-related pain and receive care at participating or linked health systems are the likely candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People whose pain is not related to cancer, who lack access to the required digital tools, or who are not treated within participating health systems may not benefit.
What this research studies
You would be offered a digitally-supported, team-based pain program that combines medications with non-drug approaches to manage cancer pain. The care team uses a modified Collaborative Care Model and team-based elements to monitor your symptoms, address provider bias, and link you with multimodal pain specialists. Your electronic health record would help the team track needs and coordinate referrals, with remote check-ins to reach patients in isolated or resource-limited areas. The program focuses on improving pain detection, reducing inappropriate opioid use, and making broader access to multimodal pain care possible.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make safer, more effective multimodal pain care easier to get for people with advanced cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Prior adaptations of the Collaborative Care Model and team-based approaches for cancer symptoms have shown promise, but delivering multimodal cancer pain care through integrated digital systems is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cheville, Andrea Lynne — Mayo Clinic Rochester
- Study coordinator: Cheville, Andrea Lynne
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Cancer Pain Management for Asian American Breast Cancer Survivors with Depressive Symptoms
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Safe, digitally-enabled cancer pain care for patients and survivors
A nationwide Mayo Clinic-led program tests a digitally-supported, team-based approach to managing cancer pain that may help patients and survivors receive better, safer pain care.
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How State Cannabis Laws Affect Cancer Pain Care and Patient Well-being
This project looks at how state laws about cannabis might change how people with cancer manage their pain and how they feel overall.
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Tech-based pain support for Asian American breast cancer survivors
This project is building an easy-to-use web and mobile program to help Asian American breast cancer survivors with chronic pain and depression get personalized information and coaching.
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Impact of Cannabis Laws on Cancer Pain in Patients
A mixed-methods study exploring how state cannabis laws affect cancer pain management and outcomes for adults with cancer.
-
Training healthcare providers to use hypnosis for managing cancer pain
This study is teaching cancer care providers how to use hypnosis to help reduce pain for cancer patients, making their treatment experience more comfortable and improving their overall quality of life.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.