Active not recruitingOBSERVATIONAL

Cancer Surveillance and Support

This project aims to improve support for people who have finished treatment for breast or bowel cancer. Currently, after breast cancer, people often manage their own follow-up with some contact with their care team. For bowel cancer, follow-up usually involves regular hospital visits for scans. This study will create an improved online system where breast and bowel cancer survivors can report any symptoms or problems from home. They will receive immediate, tailored advice or be guided on when to contact the hospital. This information will be shared with their hospital records, helping doctors manage their care more effectively and quickly.

At a glance

Status

Active not recruiting

Sponsor

University of Leeds

Enrolment target

565

Start

22 Mar 2021

Estimated completion

31 Jul 2025

Breast Cancer Colorectal Cancer

What is this study about?

This study is all about making things better for people who have been treated for breast or bowel cancer. After cancer treatment, it's really important to keep an eye on your health and get support if you notice any changes. Right now, how people are checked after treatment can be quite different depending on whether they had breast or bowel cancer. For breast cancer, people often manage their own follow-up and get in touch if they have concerns. For bowel cancer, there are usually regular hospital visits for scans and tests to check everything is okay.

Building on past experience with patients reporting their symptoms online during treatment, this project wants to develop a new and improved online system. This system will allow you to report symptoms or problems from your home. The aim is for you to get quick, personalised advice on how to manage things yourself, or when you should speak to your hospital team. This information will also be seen by your doctors, helping them keep track of your health alongside any scans you might have.

Ultimately, the project wants to see if this online system makes follow-up care better and easier for patients. It will look at how satisfied people are with the system, if it's easy to use, and if it helps improve their quality of life. The goal is to provide a more convenient and reassuring way for cancer survivors to stay connected with their care team and get timely help after their treatment.

Key takeaways

Aims to improve support for breast and bowel cancer survivors.
Develops an online system for reporting symptoms from home.
Provides quick, personalised advice based on your reports.
Your reports will be seen by your hospital care team.
Helps develop better follow-up care for future patients.

Who may be eligible?

To be part of this study, you would need to be 16 years old or older. You must have been treated for breast or bowel cancer at St James's University Hospital in Leeds (Bexley Wing) and have now finished your treatment, with your cancer in remission (meaning it's under control or gone).

It's important that you are able to understand what the study involves and are happy to give your permission to take part. You also need to be able to read and understand English. For some parts of the study, you'll need to have access to the internet.

However, you wouldn't be able to join if you are under 16, or if you have certain mental health conditions or problems with your thinking that might make it hard to take part. Also, if you're already in another big clinical trial where you have to fill out lots of questionnaires about your health, you might not be able to join this one.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Are you 16 years old or over?
Have you been treated for breast or bowel cancer at St James' University Hospital (Bexley Wing)?
Is your cancer currently in remission (under control or gone)?
Have you finished your main cancer treatment?
Can you read and understand English?
Do you have access to the internet (for some parts of the study)?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

If you take part in this study, you'll be helping to develop and test an online system for reporting your symptoms after breast or bowel cancer treatment. This will mainly involve using a computer or other device to report how you're feeling from home. The study is divided into phases, so what you do might vary slightly depending on which phase you're in. This could involve trying out the online system and then giving feedback on your experience. You might also be asked to fill out questionnaires about your quality of life, how well you manage your symptoms, and how confident you feel about your health. The total duration of your participation will depend on the specific phase of the study you are involved in.

Potential risks and benefits

A potential benefit of joining this study is that you could help shape a new way to get support and advice after cancer treatment, which might make things easier for you and others in the future. There are no known risks to your health by taking part in this study. The main consideration is the time and effort involved in using the online system and completing questionnaires. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason, and this will not affect your usual medical care.

Locations (1)

Some site locations are approximate. We're improving this — please verify with the trial team before travelling.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Verified postcode
Leeds, United Kingdom

Common questions

What kind of cancer patients is this study for?

This study is for people who have had breast or bowel cancer and have finished their treatment.

Where is this study taking place?

This study is based at St James' University Hospital in Leeds (Bexley Wing) in the UK.

What will I have to do if I join?

You will mainly use an online system from home to report your symptoms and give feedback on how it works. You might also fill out questionnaires about your health.

Do I need internet access to participate?

For some parts of the study, especially testing the online system, you will need access to the internet.

Can I leave the study at any time?

Yes, you can choose to leave the study at any point without needing to give a reason, and it won't affect your medical care.