Research Roundup

Study Description

SHAREonline is a study for young female cancer survivors who are experiencing changes in sexual health and function. We know this is a common problem for many women after cancer treatment. The purpose of this research is to compare two brief, single-session, educational interventions delivered over Zoom to learn if they help women effectively manage these changes and restore sexual health and functioning.

Am I Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible to participate if you:

• Are a female cancer survivor
• Are between the ages of 19 and 49
• Were diagnosed with cancer at least 1 year ago
• Were diagnosed with your first cancer at age 18 or later
• Haven’t had active cancer therapy in the past 4 months
• Don’t have further therapy planned
• Are bothered by significant sexual disfunction

What Will I Be Asked to Do?

Participants are asked to:

• Complete a 30-minute study enrollment session on Zoom
• Attend the intervention session on Zoom (see more below)
• Complete 15 minute follow-up questionnaires online with a short phone call 2 and 4 months after the intervention session.
• After completing the final questionnaire, participants may also be invited to take part in an optional interview to provide feedback about their experience being in this study.

Participants will be randomized to receive either a group education session or an individual self-management session.

If you are randomized to the group session, you attend the group session on the date you selected. This Zoom session would include <10 women and would last about 3 hours with breaks. During this session you will receive information about the causes of changes in sexual health after cancer and how to manage them. One month after the session, you will have an individual coaching phone call (<30 minutes).

If you are randomized to the individual session, you would receive your session immediately during the enrollment session and would not attend the group session on the selected date. The session would last about 30 minutes, during which you would receive written and online materials and guidance on how they might be used.

Will I Be Compensated?

Participants will receive $60 in gift cards as compensation for completing all questionnaires.

How Do I Sign Up?

To sign up to participate, please email us share@dfci.harvard.edu or learn more at www.sharesurvivorship.com

Study Description

The purpose of the study is to demonstrate the feasibility of an eight-week, virtually-delivered, tailored music-based relaxation intervention to decrease anxiety in AYA cancer survivors with clinically-relevant anxiety.

Am I Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible to participate if you:

• Are between the ages of 15 and 39
• Are at least one month post cancer treatment
• Report experiencing clinically relevant anxiety in the past 7 days

What Will I Be Asked to Do?

Your participation involves:

• Being randomly put into an 8-week tailored music-based relaxation group or a control group that receives cancer survivorship resources (Control group participants will be offered the opportunity to complete the music-based relaxation group at the end of the study)
• Completing 4 surveys
• Potentially completing an interview

Will I Be Compensated?

Participants will receive $100 in compensation and the pair of headphones used in the study.

How Do I Sign Up?

To sign up to participate, visit https://umhealthresearch.org/studies/HUM00231408

Study Description

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a weight management program designed specifically for AYA cancer survivors who are interested in improving their diet quality and increasing their physical activity.

Am I Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible to participate if you:

• Are currently between the ages of 18 and 39
• Were diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 15 and 39
• Are within 10 years of your diagnosis
• Have completed active cancer directed therapy
• Have a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 50 kg/m2

What Will I Be Asked to Do?

You’ll be asked to participate in a comprehensive, virtual weight loss program.  Study participants will be given a Fitbit activity tracker, a smart scale to track weight, a health education program, and peer support. 

Will I Be Compensated?

Participants will receive up to $180 in compensation.

How Do I Sign Up?

To sign up to participate, visit https://join-ayawell.org/

Study Description

The purpose of the study is to test whether an informational website about fertility and family building after cancer is helpful for young female cancer survivors. 

Am I Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible to participate if you:

• Were assigned female sex at birth
• Are between the ages of 18 and 45
• Have completed primary cancer treatment (women on hormone therapy or long-term adjuvant maintenance therapies are eligible)
• Desire to have a child (or more children) or are uncertain about family-building plans 

What Will I Be Asked to Do?

You’ll be asked to complete four online 30-45 minute surveys over the course of 12 months.

Will I Be Compensated?

Participants will receive $30 in compensation for each survey, for a total possible compensation of $120.

How Do I Sign Up?

To sign up to participate, visit https://redcap.link/8aaq1ehv or email us at roadmaptoparenthood@stanford.edu

Study Description

The purpose of the study is to better understand how family support and relationships (for example, with parents or caregivers) are linked to mental and physical well-being among AYA cancer survivors ages 15–24 who completed treatment within the past year.

Am I Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible to participate if you:

• Are currently 15-24 years old
• Completed cancer treatment within the past year
• Live with your parent(s)/caregiver(s) at least 50% of the time

Caregivers may be eligible to participate if you:

• Are a self-designated caregiver of an AYA cancer survivor
• Live with the AYA cancer survivor at least 50% of the time

What Will I Be Asked to Do?

You’ll be asked to complete three surveys and one optional Zoom interview.

Will I Be Compensated?

Participants will receive up to $100 in compensation.

How Do I Sign Up?

To learn more and participate, please email Heeyeon Son, PhD, MSN at hson4@utk.edu or call 856-974-0838.

Study Description

The purpose of the study is to better understand the sexual education experiences and informational needs of young adult cancer survivors, as well as to gather feedback on a sexual education pamphlet designed to address these needs.

Am I Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible to participate if you:

• Were diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 12 and 17
• Are currently between the ages of 18 and 29
• Have completed treatment at least one year ago

What Will I Be Asked to Do?

Participants are asked to complete a brief demographic form and sexual education history form and then take part in a semi-structured interview about their experiences with sexual education, their informational needs, and their preferences for how sexual health information should be delivered. In a later phase, some participants may also be asked to review a draft sexual education pamphlet and provide feedback on its content, quality, and delivery.

Will I Be Compensated?

Participants will receive a $15 gift card as compensation.

How Do I Sign Up?

To learn more and sign up to participate, please email Jessica O’Brien at jobrien10@student.touro.edu

Study Description

On-Trac is a study for cancer survivors who are currently experiencing anxiety. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a brief online education program can help survivors manage anxiety and to learn how survivors think the program might be improved.

Am I Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible to participate if you:

• Are a cancer survivor between 18 and 39 years old
• Have had no cancer therapy in the past 4 months or planned in the future
• Are experiencing specific symptoms of anxiety.

What Will I Be Asked to Do?

Participation in the study involves:

• Taking part in an education session using the Zoom videoconference platform, during which you will also complete a brief online questionnaire. This session will have between 1-5 participants and will take approximately two hours. At the end of the session, you will complete a brief questionnaire and receive a $15 gift card.
• After the session, having 1-2 individual coaching phone calls that each last about 30 minutes.
• Completing follow-up questionnaires 1 and 2 months after the education session. These questionnaires will take about 15 minutes to complete online, and we will guide you with a brief phone call to help complete them. You will receive a $25 gift card upon completing each of the 1- and 2-month follow-up questionnaires.
• Taking part in an interview over Zoom to provide feedback about your experience with On-Trac and how the program might be improved. This interview would take about 45-60 minutes, and you would receive a $25 gift card upon completion.

Will I Be Compensated?

Participants can receive up to $90 in gift cards. 

How Do I Sign Up?

If you would like to participate or have any questions, you can email or call the contacts listed below, and a study coordinator will get in touch with you. Email: survivorship_research@dfci.harvard.edu or call phone: (617) 582-8260

Study Description

This study aims to develop a theory centered on the perspectives of adolescents with cancer to explain how they make meaning of their experiences with illness and life after a cancer diagnosis.

Methods: This qualitative study uses a participatory, photovoice-informed grounded theory approach to explore the meaning-making processes of adolescents ages 10–19 diagnosed with cancer, based on the age definition used by the World Health Organization (2025). Data will be collected through individual, semi-structured interviews using optional participant-generated photographs and analyzed using iterative grounded theory procedures. A subset of adolescents may choose to serve as Youth Research Partners (YRPs), supporting the refinement of the study protocol, the interpretation of the data, the validation of the theory, and the discussion of knowledge dissemination strategies using de-identified data. Final analytic decisions will be made under the supervision of the principal investigator to ensure methodological rigor and ethical oversight.

Am I Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible to participate if you:

• Are between 10 and 19 years old at the time of participation
• Have a self-reported history of a formal cancer diagnosis of any type or stage (excluding individuals with a diagnosis of non-melanoma skin cancer only)
• Are medically stable and have the necessary abilities to participate in research activities conducted in English, such as a virtual interview and a discussion of photographs
• Are able to provide assent (for minor participants) or informed consent (for adult participants)
  • Have a parent or legal guardian who can provide written parental permission (for minor participants).

What Will I Be Asked to Do?

Participation in the study involves:

• Interviews will be conducted one-on-one online on Microsoft Teams and will last approximately 1 to 1.5 hours; participants may also choose to take photographs that represent their experiences and discuss them during the interview. Participants may be invited to participate in an optional follow-up interview lasting approximately 30 to 60 minutes to further clarify or expand on topics discussed in the initial interview.
• In addition, participants may choose to join the YRP group, which will consist of approximately 5-7 adolescents and the two oncology social work research team members, who will meet online once a month for up to eight meetings, with each meeting lasting about 60 to 75 minutes. All research activities will be conducted virtually.

Will I Be Compensated?

Participants who complete the individual interview will receive a $25 electronic Amazon gift card. Participants who complete the optional follow-up interview will receive an additional $25 electronic Amazon gift card. Participants who choose to serve as Youth Research Partners will receive a $20 electronic Amazon gift card for each meeting attended, for up to eight meetings. All incentives are intended for the adolescent participant. Electronic gift cards will be sent via email to the participant or to the parent/caregiver/guardian email provided during enrollment.

How Do I Sign Up?

If you would like to participate or have any questions, please contact Yixuan Wang at yixuan.wang@colostate.edu