Clinical trial NCT00070421: Study of @neWorld: A Virtual Community for Children With Cancer
Official title: @neWorld: A Virtual Community For Kids With Cancer
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE1
PHASE2
Conditions: Leukemia
Lymphoma
Psychosocial Effects of Cancer and Its Treatment
Unspecified Childhood Solid Tumor, Protocol Specific
Keywords: psychosocial effects of cancer and its treatment
unspecified childhood solid tumor, protocol specific
childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission
childhood acute myeloid leukemia in remission
recurrent childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia
recurrent childhood acute myeloid leukemia
recurrent childhood large cell lymphoma
recurrent childhood lymphoblastic lymphoma
recurrent childhood small noncleaved cell lymphoma
stage I childhood Hodgkin lymphoma
stage I childhood large cell lymphoma
stage I childhood lymphoblastic lymphoma
stage I childhood small noncleaved cell lymphoma
stage II childhood Hodgkin lymphoma
stage II childhood large cell lymphoma
stage II childhood lymphoblastic lymphoma
stage II childhood small noncleaved cell lymphoma
stage III childhood Hodgkin lymphoma
stage III childhood large cell lymphoma
stage III childhood lymphoblastic lymphoma
stage III childhood small noncleaved cell lymphoma
stage IV childhood Hodgkin lymphoma
stage IV childhood large cell lymphoma
stage IV childhood lymphoblastic lymphoma
stage IV childhood small noncleaved cell lymphoma
recurrent/refractory childhood Hodgkin lymphoma
Lead sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Sponsor class: NIH
Collaborators: name: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
First posted: 2003-10-07
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 10
Maximum age (years): 15
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary: RATIONALE: Using an Internet Web site that enables children with cancer to interact online with classmates, participate in classroom activities, get easy-to-read medical information, and chat with family members, medical staff, and other children with cancer may help children cope with isolation, fear, and decreased self-esteem.

PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the effectiveness of an Internet Web site in providing social support and education to children who are undergoing treatment for cancer.

Detailed description: OBJECTIVES:

* Develop an Internet-based application that allows pediatric patients with cancer to enter a virtual community with the following capabilities:

  * Interact with classmates and participate in classroom activities via e-mail, chat groups, online field trips, art studio, music room, and game room
  * Identify and interact with a community of peers with similar medical conditions
  * Access a dictionary to get medical information in understandable terms
  * Interact with the medical community online
  * Interact with family members online
* Determine the acceptability of this program among groups of these patients and their classmates, teachers, family members, and healthcare providers using focus groups.
* Determine the effect of this program on self-esteem, coping behaviors, perceived social support, cancer-relevant medical knowledge, and feelings of control over health destiny in these patients.
* Determine the effect of this program on the performance of these patients in school.
* Determine the effect of this program in alleviating psychological distress in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

* Phase I: Students, family members, teachers, and health providers participate in focus groups to provide system design and implementation input and to assess overall acceptability of a prototype Internet-based application for pediatric cancer patients.
* Phase II: Patients are assigned to 1 of 2 groups, based on participating center.

  * Group 1: Patients have access to and utilize the Internet-based application @neWorld.
  * Group 2: Patients do not have access to or utilize @neWorld. In both groups, patients complete questionnaires measuring psychological distress, quality of life, self-esteem, coping behaviors, perceived academic and social competence, perceived social support, cancer-relevant medical knowledge, feelings of control over health destiny, utilization of psychological services, and performance in school at baseline and 3 and 6 months.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 94 patients (44 for group 1 and 50 for group 2) will be accrued for this study.

Eligibility criteria: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of cancer
* Currently receiving treatment for cancer

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 10 to 15

Performance status

* Active

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Not specified

Hepatic

* Not specified

Renal

* Not specified

Other

* Able to read and speak English

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* Not specified

Chemotherapy

* Not specified

Endocrine therapy

* Not specified

Radiotherapy

* Not specified

Surgery

* Not specified

Primary outcomes:
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Crystal Lake
country: United States
facility: Leap of Faith Technologies, Incorporated
state: Illinois
Study officials:
affiliation: Leap of Faith Technologies
name: Barbara Rapchak
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References: