Addressing Genomic Disparities in Cancer Survivors

Summary

The goal of this observational study is to increase genetic education and genetic testing for hereditary cancer risk among Black cancer survivors. The study will:

1. Test the effectiveness of a chatbot intervention (also called relational agent, or RA) vs. enhanced usual care (EUC) on engagement in genetic education and requests for genetic testing.
2. Evaluate the impact of the chatbot vs. EUC on the process that participants use to make decisions and evaluate effects on well-being (also called psychosocial outcomes).
3. Explore the ways (methods) that influence how participants experience the intervention.
4. Explore the feasibility of incorporating a Family Sharing Portal (FSP) for participants who receive a positive test result, to facilitate family communication of these test results and genetic testing of first-degree biological relatives after they have received genetic education by the RA.

The main questions this study aims to answer are which group - the chatbot (RA) group or the EUC group - is more likely to request genetic testing and which group is more likely to get (engage with) genetic education.

Participants will be randomly assigned to either the chatbot (RA) group or EUC group. This means each participant has an equal chance of being placed in either group, just like flipping a coin. Each group will receive genetic education and have an opportunity to request genetic testing. Researchers will compare the chatbot (RA) group and the EUC group to see which may request more GT (genetic testing) and which group engages more with genetic education.

Conditions

• Hereditary Cancer
• Genetic Testing

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Relational agent (RA) / Chatbot

Consists of clinical letter and engagement with genetic education and uptake of genetic testing for hereditary cancer risk among Black cancer survivors.

BEHAVIORAL

Enhanced Usual Care (EUC)

Consists of clinical letter and recommendation for genetic testing for hereditary cancer risk among Black cancer survivors.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Georgetown University

  collaborator OTHER

• National Cancer Institute (NCI)

  collaborator NIH

• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Anita Y Kinney, PhD, RN · Director at Rutgers Cancer Institute

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-07-31

Primary Completion

2026-12-31

Completion

2027-08-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations