SMS Chatbot Support for Gastrointestinal Cancer

Overseen By Lawrence N Shulman, MD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Must be taking: Capecitabine

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 12 weeks

60 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial focuses on using capecitabine, an oral chemotherapy drug, for cancer patients who manage their treatment at home. The goal is to help these patients take their medication correctly and manage side effects better. Capecitabine works by stopping cancer cells from growing and spreading and is used in the treatment of various cancers, including advanced breast and colorectal cancer.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, since the trial involves specific chemotherapy regimens, it's best to discuss your current medications with the trial team to ensure there are no interactions.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment 'Penny' via Memora Platform for gastrointestinal cancer?

Research on similar chatbot interventions shows promise in helping cancer patients manage symptoms and make informed decisions. For example, a study on a chatbot for pancreatic cancer patients found that 80% engaged with it, and those who did genetic testing interacted more with the chatbot, suggesting it may support patient decision-making. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the SMS Chatbot Support for Gastrointestinal Cancer safe for humans?

The research on similar mobile-based applications and chatbots for cancer patients suggests they are generally safe and can help manage symptoms and improve communication with healthcare providers. No specific safety concerns were reported in the studies for these types of digital health tools. ^{1 3 6 7 8}

How is the Penny treatment for gastrointestinal cancer unique?

The Penny treatment is unique because it uses a chatbot on the Memora Platform to provide support for gastrointestinal cancer patients, offering a dynamic interaction that simulates human conversation to assist with follow-up care, potentially reducing emergency visits and hospitalizations. ^{2 4 5 9 10}

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for patients with gastrointestinal cancers who are taking oral chemotherapy, specifically capecitabine alone or in combination with other treatments like oxaliplatin, temozolomide, radiation therapy, or mitomycin.

Inclusion Criteria

I am over 18 and being treated for GI cancer with specific medications.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive guidance on oral chemotherapy adherence and side effect management via the Penny SMS Text-based chatbot

12 weeks

Remote interactions via SMS

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

12 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• 'Penny' via Memora Platform

Trial Overview 'Penny' is a chatbot delivered via the Memora Platform designed to help these patients manage their medication schedules and side effects. The study aims to improve adherence to complex oral chemotherapy regimens and better handle toxicity by providing remote guidance and monitoring.

Participant Groups

Group I: Penny, a SMS Text-based chatbot intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

This is a single arm study. All recruited patients will be entered on the Penny SMS Text-based chatbot intervention.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Lead Sponsor

Trials

360

Recruited

108,000+

Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

Lead Sponsor

Trials

425

Recruited

464,000+

Findings from Research

An automated chatbot (Chats) was found to be a feasible tool for supporting head and neck cancer patients during radiation treatment, with 89% of users finding it easy to use and 61% reporting it helped with symptom self-management.

The study revealed a fair concordance between patient-reported outcomes and clinician-reported outcomes, highlighting that patients often under-reported symptoms like salivary duct inflammation and xerostomia, indicating the chatbot could help bridge this gap in communication.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Automated health chats for symptom management of head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Ma, D., Orner, D., Ghaly, MM., et al.[2022]

In a study involving 142 women with breast cancer, the artificial conversational agent (chatbot) Vik provided answers that were as satisfying as those given by a group of physicians, with a success rate of 69% compared to 64% for physicians, demonstrating noninferiority.

This research suggests that chatbots like Vik can effectively inform patients about their treatment, potentially reducing the need for in-person consultations for minor health concerns, allowing doctors to focus on patients who require more direct care.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Chatbot Versus Physicians to Provide Information for Patients With Breast Cancer: Blind, Randomized Controlled Noninferiority Trial. Bibault, JE., Chaix, B., Guillemassé, A., et al.[2020]

A feasibility study involving 60 pancreatic cancer patients showed that an educational chatbot about genetic testing was well-received, with 80% of participants engaging with it and 71% completing surveys.

Patients who opted for genetic testing interacted more with the chatbot, suggesting that providing education through this method may help reduce decisional conflict and encourage testing adoption.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Feasibility of the Genetic Information Assistant Chatbot to Provide Genetic Education and Study Genetic Test Adoption Among Pancreatic Cancer Patients at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Soley, N., Klein, A., Taylor, CO., et al.[2023]

In a study involving 95,166 patients, 64.2% engaged with a clinical chatbot designed to assess hereditary cancer risk, with 89.4% completing the risk assessment, indicating high acceptability and usability of the tool.

The chatbot identified that 25% of users met the criteria for genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes, and among those tested, 5.6% had a pathogenic variant, demonstrating its effectiveness in triaging high-risk patients for further evaluation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Hereditary Cancer Risk Using a Genetic Chatbot Before Routine Care Visits. Nazareth, S., Hayward, L., Simmons, E., et al.[2023]

The pilot version of the Rosa chatbot, developed over two years with input from patients and healthcare professionals, aims to assist breast and ovarian cancer patients in understanding genetic BRCA testing, highlighting the importance of user-centered design in health technology.

Despite initial challenges with AI matching user questions to answers, the final version of the chatbot significantly expanded its database and received positive feedback from users regarding its layout and trustworthiness, indicating potential for real-world application in healthcare settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ask Rosa - The making of a digital genetic conversation tool, a chatbot, about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Siglen, E., Vetti, HH., Lunde, ABF., et al.[2022]

A study involving 63 patients (20 using a chatbot and 43 receiving usual care) found that the chatbot significantly reduced emergency department visits and unscheduled hospitalizations for patients undergoing chemotherapy for gynecologic cancers.

Patients using the chatbot had an adjusted incidence rate ratio of 0.27 for ED visits and 0.31 for unscheduled hospitalizations, indicating a strong potential for chatbots to improve patient management and reduce healthcare burdens during cancer treatment.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using a chatbot to reduce emergency department visits and unscheduled hospitalizations among patients with gynecologic malignancies during chemotherapy: A retrospective cohort study. Huang, MY., Weng, CS., Kuo, HL., et al.[2023]

References

1. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Automated health chats for symptom management of head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. [2022]

2. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Chatbot Versus Physicians to Provide Information for Patients With Breast Cancer: Blind, Randomized Controlled Noninferiority Trial. [2020]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Digital therapeutic to improve cancer-related well-being: a pilot randomized controlled trial. [2023]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Feasibility of the Genetic Information Assistant Chatbot to Provide Genetic Education and Study Genetic Test Adoption Among Pancreatic Cancer Patients at Johns Hopkins Hospital. [2023]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Hereditary Cancer Risk Using a Genetic Chatbot Before Routine Care Visits. [2023]

6. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Patients' perceptions and experiences of using a mobile phone-based advanced symptom management system (ASyMS) to monitor and manage chemotherapy related toxicity. [2022]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Improving symptom communication through personal digital assistants: the CHAT (Communicating Health Assisted by Technology) project. [2021]

8. Iran pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Designing and Evaluating a Mobile-based Self-care Application for Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancer to Manage Chemotherapy Side Effects. [2022]

9. Ireland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ask Rosa - The making of a digital genetic conversation tool, a chatbot, about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. [2022]

10. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using a chatbot to reduce emergency department visits and unscheduled hospitalizations among patients with gynecologic malignancies during chemotherapy: A retrospective cohort study. [2023]