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NCT Number: NCT07690839

Pre-Clinic Visit Online Education for Thyroid Cancer

Through a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT), we aim to test the feasibility and preliminary impact of two online educational resources among adult patients with thyroid cancer. Each online program can be accessed on the patient's personal device, and will be provided to the patient following a diagnosis of thyroid cancer but before meeting with their surgeon to discuss treatment options. The goal of the resource is to educate patients on the various treatment options for thyroid cancer prior to surgical consultation, so that clinic visit time can be better utilized to discuss patient questions and priorities, and support shared decision making. Clinical (TC-MAX; thyroid cancer related anxiety) and behavioral outcomes (decisional conflict, shared-decision making, treatment decision) will be assessed via online surveys 1-day and 14-days post-visit.

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Key information

Conditions

Thyroid Cancer Endocrine Gland Neoplasms Endocrine System Diseases Head and Neck Neoplasms Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Thyroid Diseases Thyroid Neoplasms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Newly diagnosed with either:
  • ≤2cm Bethesda 6 thyroid nodule (papillary thyroid carcinoma) (T1N0)
  • ≤2cm Bethesda 5 thyroid nodule
  • ≤2cm Bethesda 3-4 thyroid nodule with molecular testing that confers >75% risk of malignancy
  • Able to understand and complete questionnaires independently in English
  • Access to an internet-enabled device for online surveys and intervention access

Exclusion criteria

  • Cognitive impairment or other condition that, in the opinion of the investigators, would interfere with protocol participation
  • Has nodule >2cm in size, or with non-papillary thyroid carcinoma histology
  • High-grade or poorly differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) variants
  • Central or lateral neck lymphadenopathy suspicious for PTC
  • Unfavorable nodule location, to be determined by the surgeon (e.g. Near dorsal surface (by recurrent laryngeal nerve); adjacent to trachea (risk of cartilage invasion)
  • Recurrent thyroid cancer case

Treatment and study plan

Thrive

Behavioral

THRIVE is a tailored AI agent that provides patient education and assists in decision-making specifically for thyroid cancer patients. Using HIPAA-compliant protocols and an empathic approach, THRIVE can (1) establish patient priorities, (2) guide patients through decision tools, and (3) integrate detailed notes into the electronic health record (EHR). Such computer-generated notes have been found to be higher quality, more comprehensive, better organized, and with greater relevance compared with physician-documented notes. Altogether, this solution tackles a time-intensive and laborious task, expanding time and bandwidth for decision-making. Moreover, integration with existing infrastructure like the EHR can help promote clinical adoption.

ACS "After a Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis" Flyer

Other

The 2-page American Cancer Society (ACS) flyer (No. 0827.60 Rev. 3/25) is titled "After a Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis" and provides brief information about "Treatment for thyroid cancer", "What to expect before and during treatment", "What to expect after treatment", "Staying healthy", and "Dealing with your feelings", as well as recommendations on questions to ask a physician for each of the above topics. The flyer also provides the patient with a link to the ACS website and a direct phone number.

Primary outcomes

  1. TC-MAX

    Time frame: Baseline, 1-day post clinic visit, 14-days post clinic visit

    Thyroid cancer-related anxiety as measured by the 18-item TC-MAX questionnaire created by Dr. Allen Ho at Cedars-Sinai. It is a psychometric scale assessing thyroid cancer-related anxiety across three different subscales (Collective Anxiety, Ultrasound Anxiety, and Fear of Recurrence/Progression). Scale range is between 0-100, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety. Means and standard deviations will be used to describe the scores.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Decisional Conflict Scale

    Time frame: 1-day post clinic visit

    Decisional conflict as measured by the 16-item Traditional Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) - Statement Format. This scale assesses personal perceptions of uncertainty in choosing options; modifiable factors contributing to uncertainty such as feeling uninformed, unclear about personal values and unsupported in decision making; and effective decision making such as feeling the choice is informed, values-based, likely to be implemented and expressing satisfaction with the choice. This questionnaire uses a 5-point Likert scale, from strongly agree to strongly disagree.

  2. Shared Decision Making

    Time frame: 1-day post clinic visit

    Patient perception of shared decision making as measured by the 9-item Shared Decision Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9). This questionnaire measures the extent to which patients are involved in the process of decision-making from the perspective of the patient. This questionnaire uses a 6-point Likert scale, from completely agree to completely disagree.

Other outcomes

  1. System Usability Scale

    Time frame: 1-day post clinic visit

    System usability as measured by the validated, 10-item System Usability Scale (SUS). This attitude Likert scale gives a global assessment of usability. Each item is rated on a scale of 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater usability.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Michael Fine, MSHS

CONTACT

[email protected]

Zoe Krut, MSHS

CONTACT

[email protected]

310-423-0699

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Educational Resources for Patients With Thyroid Cancer

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jul 8, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 8, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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