Is the 1939 Cancer Act Fit for Purpose in the Modern Technology Era?

NCT07584824 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2526.RCHT.19 - V1.1
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The 1939 Cancer Act in the UK (England \& Wales) prohibits advertising of cancer treatments to the public, by anyone but the NHS. The rise of the internet and social media presents new challenges to its enforcement and raises questions about unintended consequences for patients being treated for cancer. Through anonymous surveys, this study aims to understand how patients, healthcare professionals and industry professionals perceive technological changes and their implications for online and social media cancer care information, as well as highlight opportunities for safe and ethical modernisation.

Conditions

Cancer; Cancer (Solid Tumors); Cancer (With or Without Metastasis); Cancer (Advanced Stage); Cancer (Active Cancer, Meaning Not Being Cancer Free), of Any Stage and Involving Any Treatment/Care Regimen; i.e. Curative, Life-extending, or Palliative

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Is the 1939 Cancer Act fit for purpose in the current digital era?

  The survey uses factual single-choice items, multiple-response items and mainly Likert-scale attitude questions. Themes of questions and reported outcomes are: * Current use of online information for cancer: report descriptively. * Reasons for not using online/social media information. Report proportions and themes of free-text question. * Private healthcare information access. Report descriptively. Following outcomes will have numerically-codes Likert scales with report of mean and standard deviation: * Perceived adequacy of cancer information * Confidence in evaluating online cancer information * Attitudes toward the Cancer Act 1939. Support for modernising the Cancer Act, Attitudes toward direct-to-patient advertising and advertising of alternative treatments * Views on digital misinformation issues Overall view on reform. Assesses whether the Cancer Act needs reform; treat as an ordinal outcome with statistical testing (Kruskall Wallis test, P value, SD).

  The study will be open for 6 months

Study Arms (2)

Patient participants- UK residents (England and Wales ONLY).

* Aged 18 or over. * Have been treated for a cancer within the last three years. * Can complete the survey themselves or have it completed on their behalf by a friend or family member (with the patient's permission).

Healthcare Professionals (UK-based professionals in the healthcare industry.)

* Aged 18 or over. * Working with patients diagnosed with cancer. * Consulting with patients at least once a month or more frequently.

Eligibility Criteria

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

Study Population

Adults geographically resident in England or Wales, who have recent experience in receiving or providing cancer treatment.

You may qualify if:

• Patients/Relatives:
• UK residents (England and Wales ONLY).
• Have been treated for a cancer within the last three years.
• Aged 18 or over.
• Can complete the survey themselves or have it completed on their behalf by a friend or family member (with the patient's permission).
• Healthcare Professionals:
• UK-based professionals in the healthcare industry.
• Working with patients diagnosed with cancer.
• Consulting with patients at least once a month or more frequently.
• Aged 18 or over.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust: lead
• University of Warwick: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust

Truro, United Kingdom

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neoplasms

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 28, 2026
• First Posted: May 13, 2026
• Study Start: January 9, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 30, 2026
• Last Updated: May 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Locations

GB (1)