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Understanding Communication About Uncertainty in Childhood Cancer

This study wants to understand how parents who have lost a child to cancer and the doctors who treated them talk about the child's future when things are uncertain. Researchers want to learn how these conversations happen during treatment and after a child has passed away. They also want to find out what parents and doctors think are the best ways to have these difficult conversations. You might be able to join if you are an adult parent whose child received cancer care at St. Jude and passed away between 6 and 24 months ago, or if you are an oncologist at St. Jude. The study hopes to enroll 50 people. Success for this study means gathering reflections from parents and oncologists about their experiences with communication about prognostic uncertainty.

Study design
This is an observational study, meaning researchers will gather information without giving any specific treatments. It aims to include 50 participants.
What's involved
If you choose to participate, you will have an audio-recorded interview with a researcher, either online or in person. You will share your thoughts and recommendations based on your experiences.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Not specified.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT07663539

Insights From Bereaved Parents and Oncologists

Recruiting
Not specifiedAges 18+Observational
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
~50 participants
Updated 2026-07-28 on ClinicalTrials.gov

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Bereaved parents of children with cancer and oncologists reflections on communication about prognostic uncertainty during the child's cancer treatment
Measured over Approximately 1-3 weeks after enrollment.

Conditions

Communication

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
Tennessee1

Study leadership

  • Stephanie Gehle, MD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Who to contact

Stephanie Gehle, MD
[email protected]
888-226-4343
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

All participants must be ≥ 18 years of age or legally emancipated
Parent Participants must have a child who:
Received cancer care from a clinician at St. Jude, as documented in the electronic medical record, AND
Died at least 6 months prior to enrollment, but no more than 24 months prior to enrollment.
Oncologist participants at St. Jude must:
Be listed as the primary oncologist as documented in the electronic medical record, AND
Have the respective patient's parent agreement to participate in the study.

Exclusion

Declining, refusal, or unwillingness to participate
Inability or unwillingness of research participant to give informed consent.

What this trial measures

  • Bereaved parents of children with cancer and oncologists reflections on communication about prognostic uncertainty during the child's cancer treatmentApproximately 1-3 weeks after enrollment.

    The analysis plan for this study is to apply reflexive thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke, involving the following six step process: 1. Familiarization with the data, 2. Generating initial codes, 3. Generating initial themes, 4. Reviewing themes, 5. Refining, defining, and naming themes, 6. Writing up a narrative of results. Investigators will conduct individual interviews with participants and code transcripts independently to identify salient themes from each cohort, subsequently compare codes across cohorts to explore and characterize areas of convergence and divergence and use a matrix approach to facilitate this comparative analysis. Interviews will be recorded, transcribed, and de-identified prior to analysis. MAXQDA, a sophisticated qualitative analysis software system, will be used to conduct and synthesize analysis.