Electronic symptom reporting to connect people with advanced cancer to palliative care
Official title: "PRO-CONNECT" Patient-Reported Outcomes to Coordinate Supportive Care for Unmet Needs During Cancer Treatment
Run by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center · NCT07195513 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether weekly electronic symptom surveys plus monthly needs questionnaires can help adults with advanced metastatic solid tumors get connected to palliative and supportive care sooner.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 90 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Lebanon, New Hampshire) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | February 25, 2026 |
| Main results expected | April 2028 |
| Study ends | December 2028 |
| Registry record updated | March 10, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07195513 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults (≥18) with unresectable or metastatic thoracic, gastrointestinal, or breast solid tumors receiving ongoing outpatient cancer-directed therapy who can consent in English and are not already established with palliative care are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients already established with palliative care, those unable to provide informed consent in English, those judged to have prohibitive cognitive impairment, or those unable to complete electronic surveys are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Adults with unresectable or metastatic thoracic, gastrointestinal, or breast solid tumors who are receiving outpatient cancer therapy will be enrolled and followed. Participants are assigned to an intervention that includes palliative care education, weekly ePRO symptom monitoring, monthly ePRO needs surveys, and coordinator-led navigation when severe or persistent problems are reported, or to usual ePRO symptom monitoring with standard referral pathways. The intervention uses automated symptom triggers and a trained coordinator to prompt earlier palliative referrals and linkage to supportive services. Key outcomes include timeliness of palliative care referral, symptom burden, and patient-reported quality of life.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could lead to earlier palliative care connections, better symptom control, and improved quality of life for patients with advanced cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research on early palliative care and on electronic patient-reported outcome monitoring has shown improved symptom control and quality of life, so this approach builds on promising prior evidence.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria 1. Age ≥18 years. 2. Diagnosis of unresectable or metastatic, incurable thoracic, gastrointestinal, or breast solid tumor. 3. Receiving active cancer-directed therapy longitudinally in the outpatient oncology clinic and expected to continue treatment. Exclusion Criteria 1. Members of vulnerable populations, including infants, minors, individuals unable to provide informed consent, and those who are incarcerated or imprisoned at the time of enrollment. 2. Already established with palliative care, defined as having a scheduled future palliative care appointment, a pending referral, or a visit with palliative care within the past 90 days. 3. Unable to provide informed consent in English. 4. Cognitive impairment that, in the judgment of the treating clinician, would preclude study participation.
Where it's running
-
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Tara L. Kaufmann, MD, MSCE — Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Delaney K Reese, MS
- Email: Delaney.K.Reese@Hitchcock.org
- Phone: 603-650-3784
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.