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NCT Number: NCT05975333

Writing Intervention With Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer

Young people with cancer have difficult experiences and writing exercises may help improve their well-being. However, very few studies have examined how a creative writing activity might be useful for young people with cancer. In this pilot study, researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital hope to explore whether teenagers and young adults with cancer want to participate in a writing exercise and whether they find it to be valuable.

Primary Objective

To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a writing-based narrative medicine intervention for adolescent and young adult patients with cancer.

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Key information

Conditions

Cancer Patients Communication Research

Age range

15 year–25 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Memphis, Tennessee, 38105, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Erica Kaye, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

888-226-4343

Erica Kaye, MD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

Participants will be given the opportunity to write about their experiences with cancer, with support and guidance from an expert writer. Participants will meet briefly with the expert at the start of the exercise (15-30 minutes), and they can choose to meet 1-3 additional times with the expert over the next 2 months to receive further support if they wish.

After completing the writing exercise, participants will do an informal interview to share their thoughts about whether the experience of writing felt helpful or not. The post-intervention interview will occur at around 2 months after enrollment, +/- 1 month. Patients may participate in a second informal semi-structured interview 6 to 12 months after completing the first interview. Additionally, bereaved parents may participate in an informal interview on study.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Aged 15-25
  • Currently receiving cancer-directed therapy
  • Active patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
  • Parent of a ChronCan participant who has passed away

Exclusion criteria

  • Does not meet the inclusion criteria
  • If the parents have not responded or not interviewed till July 31, 2027.

Treatment and study plan

Writing

Behavioral

Participants will be asked to write about their experiences with cancer, guided by several specific open-ended writing prompts to spark ideas.

Interview

Behavioral

Following completion of the writing exercise, participants will reflect on their experiences with the writing intervention in a semi-structured private interview with a member of the research team.

Other names: Questions

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of touchpoints that participants have with the narrative medicine expert/guide

    Time frame: During the narrative exercise, up to 2 months after enrollment

    To determine intervention feasibility, the number of touchpoints that participants have with the narrative medicine expert/guide will be tracked

  2. Number of participants who complete the writing exercise

    Time frame: During the narrative exercise, up to 2 months after enrollment

    To determine intervention feasibility, the number of participants who complete the writing exercise will be tracked

  3. Intervention acceptability

    Time frame: Post-intervention interview will occur after the narrative exercise is completed at around 2 months after enrollment, +/- 1 month

    Comparison of acceptability between participants who did/did not participate in the optional check-ins. Analysis of de-identified semi-structured interviews will be done. Interviews will be recorded, transcribed, de-identified, and analyzed using content analysis, an inductive approach that includes memo-writing, codebook development, coding, reconciliation, and synthesis to identify emerging patterns and themes.

Study contacts

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

Erica Kaye, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

888-226-4343

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

ChronCan (Chronicling Cancer): Piloting a Novel Writing Intervention With Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2027
First posted
Aug 3, 2023
Registry last updated
May 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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