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Online Sharing for Head & Neck Cancer Support

NCT07766226 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 120

Last updated 2026-08-14

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Head and neck cancer patients often experience significant anxiety and depression during radiation therapy, which can affect their quality of life and treatment adherence. However, traditional psychological support is limited by resource constraints and accessibility. This study aims to evaluate whether a mobile application based on social sharing and peer interaction can improve psychological distress in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) undergoing radiotherapy.

This is a prospective, randomized, parallel-group, open-label trial. A total of 120 participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the immediate intervention group or a waitlist control group. Participants in the intervention group will use a dedicated app featuring daily sharing, peer interaction (anonymous comments, likes, private messaging), psychoeducational resources, and reminders. The control group will receive a printed psychoeducational booklet during the initial phase and will gain access to the app after the primary endpoint assessment.

The primary outcome is the change in anxiety score (HADS-A) from baseline to completion of radiotherapy. Secondary outcomes include depression scores (HADS-D), radiotherapy interruption rate, app engagement, and severe psychological distress prevalence. Exploratory outcomes include quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30, H\&N35), readmission rate, adverse event severity (CTCAE v5.0), and biological markers (e.g., cortisol, IL-6, CRP).

The study is expected to run from April 2026 to August 2027. Findings may inform scalable digital psychosocial interventions for cancer patients.

Conditions

Interventions

OTHER

Social Sharing-Based Mobile Application

Mobile app with five modules: daily sharing, anonymous peer interaction, psychoeducational resources, task reminders, and professional support. Participants post ≥2 shares and interact ≥3 times weekly for 8 weeks. Content moderated by research assistants.

OTHER

Usual Care with Psycho-educational Manual

Participants receive standard radiotherapy care and a printed psychological adjustment manual, without access to the social sharing APP during the initial intervention phase.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • West China Hospital

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
75 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-08-01
Primary Completion
2027-08-01
Completion
2028-02-01

Countries

  • China

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07766226 on ClinicalTrials.gov