A Web-based Multimedia Intervention for Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Cancer of the Head and Neck
- Sponsor
- Fox Chase Cancer Center
- Enrollment
- 80
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Patient Distress
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 5 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The overall goal is to develop and examine the acceptability of a web-based (Internet) intervention program for patients with head and neck cancer who have recently completed radiation therapy.
Detailed Description
The overall goal is to develop and examine the acceptability of a theory-guided, web-based multimedia intervention program for head and neck cancer patients who have recently completed radiation therapy. The effects of this intervention on patients' quality of life (QOL) will also be evaluated.
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx
- •Are receiving or have completed radiation therapy within in the past 12 months
Exclusion Criteria
- •Inability to read and/or communicate in English
- •Head and neck cancers of non-squamous histology (e.g., adenoid cystic carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, sarcoma)
- •Blindness or severity of visual impairment that precludes one's ability to view images/text
- •Inability to provide informed consent
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Patient Distress
Time Frame: Up to 6 weeks
Psychological distress will be assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory-18. The Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) is an 18-item scale widely used to measure psychological distress. The BSI-18 yields a total score (Global Severity Index), which is a measure of overall psychological distress. Raw scores are converted to t-scores (range 0-100) based on gender-specific normative data from cancer patient populations. A t-score of 50 is equal to the mean of the population. Higher scores represent greater levels of distress. The BSI-18 provides a clinical case-rule classifying respondents who have a t-score score ≥ 63 on the GSI as having clinically significant symptoms. Other studies have used a lower cutoff, with a GSI t-score ≥ 57 recommended as a cutoff for clinically significant symptoms in a study of cancer patients.