Survivorship needs planning for head and neck cancer survivors and caregivers
Official title: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Survivorship Needs Assessment Planning Tool for Head and Neck Cancer Survivor-Caregiver Dyads
Funded at Medical University of South Carolina · NIH-11249628 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests a tablet-based planning tool to help head and neck cancer survivors and their caregivers manage recovery after treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Medical University of South Carolina NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charleston, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2022 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $434,679 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA259186-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249628 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adult head and neck cancer survivors who are finishing treatment and who have a family member or informal caregiver willing to participate are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without an available caregiver, those treated outside participating clinics, or those unable or unwilling to use a tablet may not be eligible or likely to benefit.
What this research studies
You and your caregiver will use a tablet-based survivorship needs assessment planning (SNAP) tool at the end of your head and neck cancer treatment to create a tailored plan for recovery and follow-up. Participants are randomly assigned to use SNAP or to receive usual survivorship care, and the study will follow 176 survivor-caregiver pairs over time. The team will measure symptoms, caregiver burden, mental well-being, healthcare use, unmet needs, and confidence managing care at 3 and 6 months. Surveys and interviews will also identify barriers and facilitators to using SNAP so clinics can adopt it more easily.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, SNAP could reduce caregiver burden, improve survivor symptom recovery, and help families access recommended medical and supportive care.
How similar studies have gone: Previous survivorship care planning efforts have shown mixed results, and tablet-based, dyadic programs for head and neck cancer are a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sterba, Katherine Regan — Medical University of South Carolina
- Study coordinator: Sterba, Katherine Regan
Related research
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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.