A mobile app to help breast cancer patients manage work during treatment
Breast Cancer and the Workforce: Talking to Employers and Medical Staff About Work (TEAMWork)
This study is testing a mobile app to help breast cancer patients manage their work and communicate with their employers while they go through treatment.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 546 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | Female |
| Sponsor | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Academic / other |
| Drugs / interventions | chemotherapy |
| Locations | 9 sites (Basking Ridge, New Jersey and 8 other locations) |
| Trial ID | NCT03572374 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This study aims to understand how breast cancer treatment impacts patients' employment and to test an early version of a mobile app called TEAMWork. The app is designed to assist patients in communicating with their employers and medical staff about their treatment and work-related concerns. Participants will provide feedback on the app's usability and effectiveness, which will help researchers improve its features. The study involves breast cancer patients who are about to start or are currently undergoing treatment.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates include breast cancer patients aged 18 and older who are currently receiving treatment or about to start treatment and can use a smartphone.
Not a fit: Patients who are not currently employed or those who do not have access to a smartphone may not benefit from this study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this app could empower breast cancer patients to maintain their employment during and after treatment.
How similar studies have performed: While there have been studies focusing on employment and cancer treatment, the specific approach of using a mobile app for this purpose is relatively novel.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Patient Usability Testing Inclusion Criteria: * History of a cancer diagnosis * At least 18 years of age * Male or Female * The ability to give informed consent in English or Spanish * Able to use and read a smartphone (iPhone or Android) * Has a smartphone (iPhone or Android) Community Usability Testing Inclusion Criteria: * At least 18 years of age * Male or Female * The ability to give informed consent in English or Spanish * Able to use and read a smartphone (iPhone or Android) * Has a smartphone (iPhone or Android) Focus Group and Interview Inclusion Criteria: * Completed chemotherapy treatment for stage I-III breast cancer. * Age 18 to 64 (inclusive) * Female * Paid employment (full time or part time) in the three months prior to diagnosis or at time of consent to MSK protocol #10-071 (PI: Blinder) * The ability to give informed consent in English or Spanish * Able to use and read a smartphone (iPhone or Android) * Has a smartphone (iPhone or Android) For Cohort 2: * Participants was covered by Emergency Medicaid at the time of diagnosis and/or at any point during their treatment for breast cancer RCT Inclusion Criteria: * Localized invasive breast cancer (not stage 0 or stage IV) per EMR or breast cancer (not stage 0 or stage IV) per self-report for community participants * If electronic medical record does not specify stage and patient is undergoing (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy, assume stage is I, II or III * Planning to undergo or undergoing adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy per EMR or planning to undergo or undergo chemotherapy per self-report for community participants * Age 18 to 64 (inclusive) * Female * Employment statue of (full time or part time) (those who are on disability leave/medical leave, and other unique employment circumstances at the PI's dicretion are eligible) * Language preference as English or Spanish * Able to use and read a smartphone or tablet (e.g. iPad, iPhone or Android) * Has access to a smartphone or tablet (e.g. iPad, iPhone or Android) Exclusion Criteria: RCT Exclusion Criteria: * Stage 0 breast cancer (DCIS only) * Stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer * Recurrence with metastases of breast cancer * Participants or family members who are participating in MSK IHCD studies related to social determinants of health
Where this trial is running
Basking Ridge, New Jersey and 8 other locations
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Consent and Follow-up) — Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States (Recruiting)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth (Consent and Follow-up) — Middletown, New Jersey, United States (Recruiting)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen (Consent and Follow up) — Montvale, New Jersey, United States (Recruiting)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester (Consent and Follow-up) — Harrison, New York, United States (Recruiting)
- Queens Cancer Center of Queens Hospital — Jamaica, New York, United States (Recruiting)
- Bellevue Hospital Center (Data Collection Only) — New York, New York, United States (Not_yet_recruiting)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center — New York, New York, United States (Recruiting)
- Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center — The Bronx, New York, United States (Active_not_recruiting)
- Montefiore Medical Center — The Bronx, New York, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Victoria Blinder, M.D., M.Sc. — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Study coordinator: Victoria Blinder, M.D., M.Sc.
- Email: blinderv@mskcc.org
- Phone: 646-888-4808
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.