Suubi4Cancer: Improving Access to Pediatric Cancer Services and Treatment Adherence Among Children Living With HIV/AIDS

NCT ID: NCT03916783

Last Updated: 2025-02-27

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: WITHDRAWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-10-15
• Study Completion Date: 2021-09-20

Brief Summary

This study will tailor and explore the short-term preliminary outcomes of an existing evidence-based Economic Empowerment (EE) Intervention, Suubi (Hope in Luganda -local Ugandan language), on access to pediatric cancer diagnosis, care, and treatment adherence among youth living with HIV (YLWHIV) with suspected cancers. The study will specifically address the following aims/research questions: Aim 1. Identify confirmed and suspected cancer cases in a cohort of >3000 HIV+ youth (ages 10-24) seen at 39 clinics in 5 districts heavily affected by HIV/AIDS in southern Uganda. Aim 2. Identify those lost to follow-up from the cohort in Aim 1 and determine reasons for loss to follow-up through qualitative interviews. 2.1. Identify those who have not returned to the clinic in ≥ 60 days (~2 months) from their expected return visit date. 2.2. Determine reasons for loss to follow-up or death. Aim 3. Conduct an open clinical trial to establish the feasibility and acceptability of the Suubi4Cancer intervention.

*Due to insufficient sample size, Aim 3 is not implemented.

Detailed Description

While cancer studies among YLWHIV in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are rare, available literature demonstrates that HIV+ children have a greater risk for cancer (prior to antiretroviral therapy (ART)- >40-fold higher; post-ART- 4-14-fold higher) than their uninfected peers. Although ART is available to all Ugandan HIV+ children, only 47% were on ART in 2016. Additionally, some of the worst pediatric cancer survival rates worldwide are in SSA, with the majority dying from their disease. These dismal odds are influenced by several barriers to accessing cancer services and staying in treatment, including cultural misconceptions about cancer, and inadequate patient/family level resources. Based on our prior study findings among YLWHIV and informed by Asset theory, the investigators hypothesize that the main barriers to uptake of available cancer diagnostic testing, care and treatment adherence are financial and that through increased household and financial stability, the investigators can improve engagement with the health care system and seeking cancer care when confronted with a possible diagnosis.

Therefore this study is significant because the investigators will:

Aim 1. Identify confirmed and suspected cancer cases in a cohort of >3000 HIV+ youth (ages 10-24) seen at 39 clinics in 5 districts heavily affected by HIV/AIDS in southern Uganda

Aim 2. Identify those lost to follow-up from the cohort in Aim 1 and determine reasons for loss to follow-up through qualitative interviews.

2.1. Identify those who have not returned to the clinic in ≥ 60 days (~2 months) from their expected return visit date.

Approach: We will identify lost to follow-up individuals who in consultation with clinics government guidelines, and our records. We will exclude those with a reported vital status of the dead where it can be determined that they died of a condition other than possible cancer. We will also exclude those identified as having transferred to another clinic (also referred to as transfer outs), although, if well-documented, efforts will be made to track them and find out whether they are visiting the clinics/health care centers where they may have transferred to.

2.2. Determine reasons for loss to follow-up or death.

Approach: From those identified as lost to follow-up in 2.1, we will extract names, sex, birth date, and contact information including addresses, phone numbers, caregiver information, and clinic id. We will engage an expert client at each clinic to assist us with tracing of these individuals or their caregiving families for those documented as deceased where cancer/suspected cancer for child/youth was reported or no cause for death was reported. We will conduct in-depth interviews to determine reasons for not returning to HIV care, if not available from existing records and/or clinic personnel.

For those with phone numbers, we will contact them by telephone to tell them about the study and to determine if they are interested in participating. We will invite them to the clinic to present the study and allow them adequate time to consider whether or not they want to participate. If they participate, we will arrange to meet them to interview them for the study following consent.

For those without phone numbers, we will contact via expert clients available at each clinic, who will assist us with tracing of the individuals and inviting them for an introductory meeting to take place either at the clinic/healthcare center, in ICHAD's private research field offices in Masaka; or at the participants' homes (if they request it and there is sufficient privacy to ensure confidentiality). Flexibility in location when re-engaging and interviewing participants has been critical to our ICHAD studies success to date, including Suubi+Adherence whose infrastructure the current studies builds on.

Traced participants will be asked whether they are interested in participating in the study. We will provide them with a consent form (for caregivers) and assent forms for any child below 18 years of age.

Interviews determining reasons for lost to follow-up will focus on 1) experiences around HIV care at the clinic where they were a patient; 2) multi-level facilitators and barriers to access care; and 3) multi-level facilitators and barriers to staying in treatment.

2.3. For those determined to have died of cancer or with a suspected cancer identified from lost to follow-up interviews and from medical record abstraction for Aim 1, we will conduct the same interview as in 2.2 with additional questions with them or their identified primary caregiver to determine barriers and facilitators to cancer care.

• More specifically, the interviews will focus on1) experiences with their healthcare provider on communication around suspected cancer, and referral process; and 2) experiences with accessing services for further cancer testing, including barriers and facilitators to access

Aim 3. Conduct an open clinical trial to establish the feasibility and acceptability of the Suubi4Cancer intervention.

For cases identified with suspected cancers to date as a part of Aim 1 activities (n=7), those that are eligible will be invited to participate in an open clinical trial testing an economic empowerment intervention (Suubi4Cancer) to determine feasibility and acceptability.

We will conduct qualitative interviews to explore participants' experiences with the intervention, including feasibility and acceptability.

*Due to insufficient sample size, Aim 3 is not implemented.

Conditions

HIV/AIDS; Cancer

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Combination intervention

Selected families will be assigned to the treatment condition (delivered over 9 months) to receive BSC plus a family EE intervention comprising of a matched family development account (FDA) for health-related expenses, including transport to UCI, food/nutrition, and health insurance. Combined with the Family EE will be four sessions of Financial Literacy and Management (FL&M) and two sessions of cancer education. The sessions will be conducted over a 4-week period. The two cancer-specific education sessions will use UCI materials to address: 1) definitions of cancer, potential causes, signs and symptoms, and importance of cancer testing; 2) debunking cultural explanations for the causes of cancer and misconceptions (beliefs, values, norms and prevailing attitudes)regarding cancer that largely impede service use.

*Due to insufficient sample size, the open clinical trial is not being conducted.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Combination intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The FDA will be a matched savings account held in the child's name with the parent or caregiver as the co-signer, in a financial institution registered by the Central Bank (Bank of Uganda). The account opened will be matched with money from the program up to a match cap of 72,000 Uganda shillings (an equivalent of $20) a month per family for the 9-month intervention period.

The FDAs will be complemented with four sessions of Financial Literacy and Management (FL&M) and two sessions of cancer education conducted over a 4-week period. The two cancer-specific education sessions will use UCI materials to address: 1) definitions of cancer, potential causes, signs and symptoms, and importance of cancer testing; 2) debunking cultural explanations for the causes of cancer and misconceptions (beliefs, values, norms and prevailing attitudes)regarding cancer that largely impede service use.

Interventions

Combination intervention

The FDA will be a matched savings account held in the child's name with the parent or caregiver as the co-signer, in a financial institution registered by the Central Bank (Bank of Uganda). The account opened will be matched with money from the program up to a match cap of 72,000 Uganda shillings (an equivalent of $20) a month per family for the 9-month intervention period.

The FDAs will be complemented with four sessions of Financial Literacy and Management (FL&M) and two sessions of cancer education conducted over a 4-week period. The two cancer-specific education sessions will use UCI materials to address: 1) definitions of cancer, potential causes, signs and symptoms, and importance of cancer testing; 2) debunking cultural explanations for the causes of cancer and misconceptions (beliefs, values, norms and prevailing attitudes)regarding cancer that largely impede service use.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

Family Development Account + Education Sessions

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• HIV+ (confirmation by medical report)
• Must be living within a family (defined broadly, not necessarily with biological parents);
• Must be between 10-24 years old
• Attending one of the 39 clinics
• Did not access services or expressed unwillingness and/or inability to do so.

• Have a YLWHIV (with suspected cancer) under their care who attends one of the 39 study-affiliated clinics.

Exclusion Criteria

Potential participants will be excluded from the study if the research team determines that the participant:

• Cannot comprehend the study and participant rights
• Is unwilling to participate.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 10 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 24 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Uganda Cancer Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Reach the Youth Uganda

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Washington University School of Medicine

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Fred M. Ssewamala, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Washington University School of Medicine

Kimberly N Johnson, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Washington University School of Medicine

Ozge Sensoy Bahar, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Washington University School of Medicine

Locations

International Center for Child Health and Development

Masaka, , Uganda

Countries

Uganda

References

Ssewamala FM, Sensoy Bahar O, Johnson KJ, Katumba RGN. Suubi4Cancer: A protocol for an innovative combination intervention to improve access to pediatric cancer services and treatment adherence among children living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2019 Oct 1;16:100459. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2019.100459. eCollection 2019 Dec.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 31650077 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

1R21CA236531-01

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

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R21CA236531

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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