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Integrating Telehealth to Advance Lung Cancer Screening

Integrating Telehealth to Advance Lung Cancer Screening

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06638554
Acronym
ITALCS
Enrollment
6000
Registered
2024-10-15
Start date
2024-07-09
Completion date
2027-06-30
Last updated
2026-05-29

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Decision Making, Early Detection of Cancer, Telemedicine

Brief summary

The goal of this pragmatic trial is to learn if telehealth strategies can increase shared decision-making (SDM) for lung cancer screening (LCS). It will also learn about the equity of these strategies by conducting non-inferiority analysis by race and sex. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does patient outreach using synchronous and asynchronous telehealth strategies increase completion of SDM visits for LCS? 2. Is the effectiveness of these telehealth strategies similar by race and sex? The study uses a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design and includes two stages of interventions. The first stage of intervention includes direct patient outreach with an invitation to schedule either a 1) telehealth SDM visit or 2) telehealth or in-person SDM visit. Participants that do not respond to the first stage interventions receive a text message reminder encouraging SDM visit completion with or without digital care coordination.

Detailed description

Annual lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is associated with decreased lung cancer mortality but also with harms. As such, it is recommended, and required for reimbursement, that patients complete an shared decision-making visit (SDM) prior to screening to discuss potential risks and benefits in the context of patient values. Despite guidelines recommending screening and national insurance coverage of LDCT, uptake of SDM visits and subsequent LDCT is remarkably low. We aim to address these gaps by comparing the effectiveness of synchronous and asynchronous telehealth strategies on SDM visits and subsequent LDCT in a pragmatic trial using a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design. The specific first stage strategies to be tested are: a) Active Choice Outreach (invitation to schedule a telehealth or in-person SDM visit) vs b) Telehealth Only Outreach (invitation to schedule a telehealth SDM visit). The specific second stage strategies (delivered only if participants do not respond to first stage interventions) are a) text message reminders encouraging SDM visit completion (low-touch) alone or b) in combination with phone-based digital care coordination (high-touch). We will also assess non-inferiority of strategies by race and sex to assess equity of effectiveness.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALActive Choice

The participant will be send a letter inviting them to complete a SDM visit either in-person or via telehealth.

BEHAVIORALTelehealth Only

The participant will be send a letter inviting them to complete a SDM visit via telehealth only.

BEHAVIORALLow Touch Strategy

Patient will be sent asynchronous text messaging reminders encouraging SDM for LCS using framed messaging.

BEHAVIORALHigh Touch Strategy

Patient will be sent asynchronous text messaging reminders encouraging SDM for LCS using framed messaging in combination with synchronous telephone-based digital care coordination.

Sponsors

Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
CollaboratorNIH
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SEQUENTIAL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Intervention model description

This study uses a sequential randomization design in which all eligible participants will be randomized into one of two interventions at Stage 1 and then participants that do not respond to Stage 1 interventions will be randomized to receive Stage 2 interventions

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Participants will be eligible if: 1. are aged 50 to 80 2. have a history of tobacco use indicated by either: Documented 20 pack-year or greater smoking history in their electronic health record (EHR); OR Self-report via structured survey 3. currently smoke or formerly smoked cigarettes 4. have no documented history of lung cancer 5. have no documented history of lung cancer screening in the 24 months prior to study enrollment 6. have completed at least one primary care visit at Penn Medicine in the 3 years prior to study enrollment.

Exclusion criteria

Participants who do not meet inclusion criteria will not be eligible.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Shared decision making (SDM) for lung cancer screening (LCS)90 days after randomizationCompletion of an SDM visit (in person or telehealth) defined as any completed encounter that has documented SDM for LCS as indicated by 1) procedure code (G0296 or equivalent), or documentation of SDM conversation related to LCS in associated progress notes.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT)6 months after randomizationCompletion of LDCT within 6 months of randomization date among individuals who complete SDM and are determined to be eligible for LCS.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTKatharine Rendle, PhD
katharine.rendle@pennmedicine.upenn.edu215-349-5442
CONTACTHannah Toneff, MSW, MA
Hannah.Toneff@pennmedicine.upenn.edu267-882-3186
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORKatharine Rendle, PhD

Abramson Cancer Center

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 30, 2026