Clinical trial · Interventional
Telemedicine vs. Face-to-Face Cancer Genetic Counseling
Telemedicine vs. Face-to-Face Cancer Genetic Counseling in Rural Oncology Clinics
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Cancer genetic counseling (CGC) has been found to have "substantial" benefits for individuals with breast cancer and their family members; it has been deemed by multiple organizations as "standard of care" for women with breast cancer and their relatives. Unfortunately, there is a disparity in access to CGC, especially among women who live in rural and underserved areas. In North Carolina, only two cancer genetic counselors practice in rural clinics - each only for a few days per month. Therefore, in an effort to make CGC more widely available in a timely manner, we propose to test provision of counseling through telemedicine (TM), in which a patient and health care provider communicate with each other using videoconferencing. In 4 rural oncology clinics, we will implement low-cost TM and compare satisfaction and cost-effectiveness between groups of women designated to have their CGC session by TM or FTF. We'll use a validated measure to assess satisfaction by a phone survey one week after the CGC appointment; cost-effectiveness will be measured at project's end by calculating length of wait time for appointment and costs of equipment, labor, and mileage. Study hypothesis: TM is as satisfactory as FTF counseling and is a more cost-effective way to provide this beneficial service.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Lynch Syndrome | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face-to-Face | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Telemedicine | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- OTHER
- label
- TM
- description
- Telemedicine genetic counseling group
- interventionNames
- Other: Telemedicine
- type
- OTHER
- label
- FTF
- description
- Face-to-face genetic counseling group
- interventionNames
- Other: Face-to-Face
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Patient satisfaction
- timeFrame
- One week post-intervention (genetic counseling session)
Secondary outcomes (1)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals referred for cancer genetic counseling (e.g., by medical oncologist, primary care physician or self) in one of 4 oncology clinics: Gibson Cancer Center in Lumberton, NC; Scotland Cancer Treatment Center in Laurinburg, NC; Johnston Cancer Center in Smithfield, NC; and Maria Parham Cancer Center in Henderson, NC. * Willing to be randomized to receive counseling via telemedicine or face-to-face. Exclusion Criteria: * Referred for cancer genetic counseling from any clinic other than the 4 listed above. * Unwilling to be randomized to receive counseling via telemedicine or face-to-face.
References
Publications (1)
- DERIVEDBuchanan AH, Datta SK, Skinner CS, Hollowell GP, Beresford HF, Freeland T, Rogers B, Boling J, Marcom PK, Adams MB. Randomized Trial of Telegenetics vs. In-Person Cancer Genetic Counseling: Cost, Patient Satisfaction and Attendance. J Genet Couns. 2015 Dec;24(6):961-70. doi: 10.1007/s10897-015-9836-6. Epub 2015 Apr 3. PMID 25833335