Clinical trial Recruiting at 1 site Interventional Ages 18 and up

Support program for parents living with advanced cancer

Official title: Efficacy of a Parental Support Intervention to Improve Communication of Advanced Cancer Patients With Adolescents and Young Adults

Run by Université Libre de Bruxelles · NCT07341815 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This study tests whether adding experiential sessions to a psycho-educational program helps parents with advanced cancer communicate better with their children aged 10–25.

Quick facts

Study typeInterventional
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
Enrollment120 (estimated)
SponsorUniversité Libre de Bruxelles
Academic / other
Locations1 site (Anderlecht)
StatusRecruiting
StartedMay 27, 2022
Main results expectedDecember 2026
Study endsDecember 2026
Registry record updatedJanuary 14, 2026
Trial IDNCT07341815 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Parents with metastatic, recurrent, or certain hematological cancers who have at least one child aged 10–25, can read and speak French, and want help communicating with their children are ideal candidates.

Probably not a fit

Patients in (pre-)terminal phases, those with severe neurological or psychiatric disorders, people who cannot read or speak French, or those without children aged 10–25 are unlikely to benefit or are ineligible.

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This is a prospective, two-arm randomized trial comparing a psycho-educational program alone versus a combined psycho-educational and experiential program for parents with advanced or recurrent cancer. Eligible participants have at least one child aged 10–25 and are willing to work on parent-child communication; all participants complete baseline and follow-up interviews two weeks and three months after the interventions. Participants are randomized after a one-hour welcome session and the interventions are delivered in French at the coordinating site. The trial measures multiple communication-related outcomes to determine whether the combined approach produces greater improvements than psycho-education alone.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the combined intervention could increase parental confidence and improve how parents talk with their children about illness, uncertainty, and consequences.

How similar studies have gone: Few randomized trials have tested parenting-support interventions in oncology and existing studies are heterogeneous, so this combined psycho-educational and experiential approach remains relatively untested.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Metastatic cancer, recurrence of cancer or certain types of hematological cancer (chronic disease, acute leukemia, multiple myeloma or lymphoma recurrence)
* Have at least one child aged between 10 and 25 years
* Wish to benefit from a psychological intervention about communication with their children about cancer or its consequences
* Able to read and speak French
* Accept to give their written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Severe neurological disorder
* Severe psychiatric disorder
* (Pre-)terminal phase of cancer disease

Where it's running

  • Institut Jules Bordet
    Anderlecht, Belgium
    Recruiting

Study contacts

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How to take part

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.