Legal guidance and advocacy for caregivers of people with colorectal cancer
LEgal Guidance and AdvocaCY for CAREgivers (LEGACY CARE): A Pilot Clinical Trial for Caregivers of Persons With Colorectal Cancer
This pilot will try offering free, personalized legal services to caregivers of people recently diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer to see if it reduces financial and emotional strain.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 20 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Minneapolis, Minnesota) |
| Trial ID | NCT07153016 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This single-center, single-arm pilot connects patient-caregiver dyads to free, personalized legal services provided by Cancer Legal Care in the Twin Cities. Eligible dyads include patients with a new stage III or IV colorectal cancer diagnosis who are starting systemic therapy and an identified adult caregiver. The intervention is offered proactively and early in the cancer course, with study participation formally lasting three months while legal services may continue beyond that period. Primary goals are to measure feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary signals of benefit on financial and psychosocial outcomes for caregivers and patients.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are patient-caregiver pairs where the patient was diagnosed with stage III or IV colorectal cancer within the past three months, is initiating or planning systemic therapy, can identify an adult English-speaking caregiver, and has an oncologist-estimated life expectancy over six months.
Not a fit: Patients without an identified caregiver, those unable to consent or communicate in English, or those with very limited life expectancy are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could reduce caregivers' financial strain and psychosocial burden by resolving legal and practical issues early through free legal support.
How similar studies have performed: Medical-legal partnership programs have shown promise addressing patients' social and financial needs, but proactive early legal navigation specifically for caregiver dyads in colorectal cancer is largely untested and this pilot is novel.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Colorectal Cancer Patient Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of advanced stage (Stage III or Stage IV) colorectal cancer within the past 3 months. * Initiated or planning to initiate systemic cancer therapy. * Able to identify a caregiver for study participation. * Estimated life expectancy of over 6 months in the opinion of the treating oncologist. * 18 years of age or older at the time of consent. * Able to understand, speak, read, and write in English. * Able to provide voluntary written consent prior to the performance of any research related activity. Caregiver Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years of age or older at the time of consent. * Identified as a caregiver by a colorectal cancer patient. * Able to understand, speak, read, and write in English. * Able to provide voluntary written consent prior to the performance of any research related activity. Exclusion Criteria: * Lacks capacity to consent/diminished capacity to consent.
Where this trial is running
Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Masonic Cancer Center — Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Arjun Gupta, MBBS
- Email: arjgupta@umn.edu
- Phone: 612-626-5906
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.