Supporting patients to manage chemotherapy side-effects
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing a behavioural intervention to encourage appropriate symptom reporting and treatment decision making and mitigate effects of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy using Experience-Based Co-design
IRAS ID
261108
Contact name
Mary Anne Tanay
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Some cancer drugs cause damage to nerves, a condition called chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). The most common symptoms, felt mainly in the hands and/or feet, are numbness, tingling and pain which result in functional difficulties. Individuals who reported having CIPN symptoms are three times more likely to have falls or near-falls than those who did not. Symptoms result in decreased quality of life due to lifestyle changes, reduced participation in social activities, and difficulty carrying out work duties, leading to financial loss. Effective treatment or prevention for CIPN is lacking. To lessen the seriousness, chemotherapy doses may need to be delayed, reduced or discontinued. It is important to prepare patients for the possibility of developing CIPN, to help them recognise and report symptoms early. It is also vital that patients are involved in making decisions when chemotherapy doses are modified to allow symptoms to settle, and help patients to adopt management strategies to lessen the effects of CIPN on their daily activities.
The proposed study aims to develop an intervention that will encourage patients to report their symptoms appropriately, help them when making treatment decisions and minimise the effects of CIPN.
Patients who are at risk of developing CIPN due to chemotherapy treatment for bowel, breast or ovarian cancer and staff who see patients during pre-chemotherapy consultations and/or obtain informed consent for chemotherapy will be recruited. Using an approach called Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD), the study has two phases. Phase 1 involves observations of pre-chemotherapy consultations, audio-recorded interviews with staff and filmed interviews with patients. Filmed interviews will be analysed, edited for crucial moments and shown to patients for their comments. Phase 2 will involve events with patients and staff to co-design the intervention. Analysed data from Phase 1 and the trigger film will be presented in these events to initiate discussions.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EM/0192
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion