Communicating Multiple Uncertainties Associated With the Benefits and Risks of New Cancer Drugs

NCT07110597 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 540788 (study 2)
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 3,184
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This nationally representative randomized survey of US adults will evaluate the effect of using brief statements to communicate multiple different sources of uncertainties about the benefits and harms of new cancer drugs on participants' decisions.

Conditions

Cancer

Keywords

Uncertainty; Prescription drug information

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in decisions

  "Imagine you were Alex and diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. How likely are you to take the new drug, Zenova?" 4-point Likert scale for decision-making: very likely; somewhat likely; somewhat unlikely; very unlikely

  Immediately prior to and after the intervention.

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Change in understanding

  Immediately prior to and after the intervention.

• Change in perception of uncertainty

  Immediately prior to and after the intervention.

• Change in emotions

  Immediately prior to and after the intervention.

• Trust

  Immediately prior to and after the intervention.

Study Arms (5)

Control group

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

No information about uncertainty given.

Other: Control group

1 source of uncertainty

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Statement communicating uncertainty with small magnitude of benefit

Other: Statement communicating 1 source of uncertainty

2 sources of uncertainties

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Statements communicating uncertainty with a small magnitude of benefit and limited study population

Other: Statements communicating 2 sources of uncertainties

3 sources of uncertainties

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Statements communicating uncertainty with a small magnitude of benefit, limited study population, and unvalidated surrogate endpoint

Other: Statements communicating 3 sources of uncertainties

4 sources of uncertainties

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Statements communicating uncertainty with a small magnitude of benefit, limited study population, unvalidated surrogate endpoint, and limited study duration.

Other: Statements communicating 4 sources of uncertainties

Interventions

Statement communicating 1 source of uncertainty OTHER

It is unknown whether patients with non-small cell lung cancer will notice an improvement with Zenova.

1 source of uncertainty

Statements communicating 2 sources of uncertainties OTHER

It is unknown whether patients with non-small cell lung cancer will notice an improvement with Zenova. Zenova has not been studied in patients similar to Alex (patients with her race and ethnicity). It is unknown whether Zenova will work and what harms it will have for patients like her.

2 sources of uncertainties

Statements communicating 3 sources of uncertainties OTHER

It is unknown whether patients with non-small cell lung cancer will notice an improvement with Zenova. Zenova has not been studied in patients similar to Alex (patients with her race and ethnicity). It is unknown whether Zenova will work and what harms it will have for patients like her. Zenova has only been shown to shrink the size of tumors. It is unknown whether Zenova improves how patients feel or how long they live.

3 sources of uncertainties

Statements communicating 4 sources of uncertainties OTHER

It is unknown whether patients with non-small cell lung cancer will notice an improvement with Zenova. Zenova has not been studied in patients similar to Alex (patients with her race and ethnicity). It is unknown whether Zenova will work and what harms it will have for patients like her. Zenova has only been shown to shrink the size of tumors. It is unknown whether Zenova improves how patients feel or how long they live. Since patients given Zenova were followed for a short time, the longer-term benefits and harms of taking Zenova are unknown.

4 sources of uncertainties

Control group OTHER

No information about uncertainty

Control group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adults 18 years of age and older
• Adults fluent in English
• Adults residing in the United States

You may not qualify if:

• Participants who initiated the first survey about communicating individual sources of uncertainties (verified using unique participant identifiers assigned by the survey company)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• London School of Economics and Political Science: lead
• Harvard Medical School / Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

London School of Economics and Political Science

London, United Kingdom

Location

Related Links

• This is the second of 2 studies on communicating uncertainties associated with the benefits and risks of new cancer drugs

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neoplasms

Interventions

Control Groups

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Epidemiologic Research Design; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Research Design; Methods

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 21, 2025
• First Posted: August 7, 2025
• Study Start: July 18, 2025
• Primary Completion: July 26, 2025
• Study Completion: July 26, 2025
• Last Updated: September 16, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)