Uncertainty About the Benefits of New Cancer Drugs and Patients' Treatment Preferences

NCT07694310 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 714377
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 3,000
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This study of current or former cancer patients will evaluate the effect of learning about uncertainties with the benefits of a new cancer drug on their hypothetical decisions to take the drug and their perceptions of the drug's effectiveness.

Conditions

Cancer

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Hypothetical decisions

  Imagine you were Alex and diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. How likely would you be to take the new drug, Zenova? * Response options: Very unlikely, somewhat unlikely, somewhat likely, very likely

  Assessed immediately after the intervention

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Perceptions of treatment effectiveness

  Assessed immediately after the intervention

• Understanding

  Assessed immediately after the intervention

• Emotions

  Assessed immediately after the intervention

• Trust

  Assessed immediately after the intervention

Other Outcomes (1)

• Perceived importance in knowing about uncertainty

  Assessed immediately after the intervention

Study Arms (5)

Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

No uncertainty information

Other: Control

Unvalidated surrogate endpoint

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

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.

Other: Unvalidates surrogate endpoint

Limited study population

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

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.

Other: Limited study population

Small magnitude of effect

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

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

Other: Small magnitude of effect

Multiple uncertainties

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

All 3 statements shown above

Other: Multiple uncertainties

Interventions

Control OTHER

No uncertainty information

Control

Unvalidates surrogate endpoint OTHER

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.

Unvalidated surrogate endpoint

Limited study population OTHER

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.

Limited study population

Small magnitude of effect OTHER

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

Small magnitude of effect

Multiple uncertainties OTHER

All 3 statements shown above

Multiple uncertainties

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• US adults with a current or former cancer diagnosis (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer),
• years of age and older
• Fluent in English
• Residing in the United States.

You may not qualify if:

• Adults who do not have a former cancer diagnosis or who were diagnosed with nonmelanoma skin cancer

Sponsors & Collaborators

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

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neoplasms

Central Study Contacts

Avi Cherla

CONTACT

020 7955 7975; avi_cherla@hphci.harvard.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Research Fellow

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 29, 2026
• First Posted: July 9, 2026
• Study Start: July 14, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Last Updated: July 9, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share