Genetic Risk Assessment for Cancer Education and Empowerment (GRACE) Project (GRACE)

June 9, 2026 updated by: Anita Y. Kinney, PhD, RN, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Comparative Effectiveness of Interventions to Increase Guideline-based Genetic Counseling in Ethnically and Geographically Diverse Cancer Survivors

GRACE is a randomized 3-arm trial to determine the comparative effectiveness of two remote cancer communication interventions: 1) a targeted generic print (TP) or 2) a tailored telephone-based counseling and navigation intervention (TCN). Post-award, the target sample size was revised to (n=642) with NIH permission.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

There is increasing evidence that activated and engaged patients who are equipped with necessary skills and information are more likely to follow through with recommended care and have better health outcomes at reduced costs. Identification of individuals at increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) is crucial for cancer survivors and their families to benefit from biomedical advances in cancer prevention, early detection, treatment and survivorship. The primary purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of two remote interventions aimed at promoting cancer genetic risk assessment (CGRA) for HBOC. The randomized controlled trial will have 3 arms: usual care (UC) vs. targeted generic print (TP) vs. tailored telephone counseling and navigation intervention (TCN).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
668

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New Jersey
      • New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, 08901
        • Rutgers University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Breast Cancer

  • Hispanic or non-Hispanic
  • Female
  • 21 years of age or older
  • English-speaking

  • Breast cancer history

    • breast cancer at the age of 50 or younger OR
    • triple-negative breast cancer OR
    • two or more primary breast cancers

Ovarian Cancer

  • Hispanic or non-Hispanic
  • Female
  • 21 years of age or older
  • English-speaking
  • History of ovarian, fallopian, or peritoneal cancer diagnosed at any age

Exclusion Criteria:

Have had prior genetic counseling or testing for hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Telephone Counseling & Navigation (TCN)
Telephone Counseling
Behavioral: Telephone Counseling & Navigation (TCN)
A health coach will conduct a 30-45 minute telephone counseling session with participants. Prior to the telephone session, participants will receive the same brochure that the TP arm receives. After the phone call, participants will receive a tailored follow-up letter which will include images tailored to the individual's age, self-identified ethnicity, and family composition.
Active Comparator: Mailed Targeted Print (TP)
Mailed Targeted Print
Behavioral: Mailed Targeted Print (TP)
Participants will be mailed an educational brochure within two weeks of completing the baseline survey that addresses important evidence-based theoretical targets: CGRA guideline (knowledge), threat appraisal (to validate or raise risk perceptions, HBOC seriousness), response efficacy (benefits and expectations about CGRA), self-efficacy messages (CGRA resources, insurance reimbursement, and assistance for those with financial challenges) and possible actions to take (make an appointment and discuss with provider). Both the targeted print and tailored intervention materials were developed using formative community engaged research methods.
Other: Usual Care (UC)
Control
Other: Usual Care (UC)
A usual care arm is included to assess CGRA uptake in the absence of intervention as well as priming from the surveys for the primary outcome analysis.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Medically Verified Cancer Genetic Risk Assessment Uptake at 6 Months
Time Frame: 6 months following the interventions for TP and TCN, and 6 months following the baseline survey for the UC arm.
Participants reported whether they had sought cancer CGRA (i.e. genetic counseling and/or testing) in surveys at the 6-month follow-up. Participants who reported receiving a CGRA were asked to provide written consent allowing research staff to obtain document of receipt of the genetic services.
6 months following the interventions for TP and TCN, and 6 months following the baseline survey for the UC arm.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Medically Verified Cancer Genetic Risk Assessment Uptake at 12 Months
Time Frame: 12 months following the interventions for TP and TCN, and 12 months following the baseline survey for the UC arm.
Participants reported whether they had sought cancer CGRA (i.e. genetic counseling and/or testing) in surveys at the 12-month follow-up. Participants who reported receiving a CGRA were asked to provide written consent, allowing research staff to obtain documents of receipt of the genetic services.
12 months following the interventions for TP and TCN, and 12 months following the baseline survey for the UC arm.
Decisional Conflict for CGRA: SURE Scale
Time Frame: 1 month following the interventions for TP and TCN, and 1 months following the baseline survey for the UC arm.
Questionnaire: Decisional conflict associated with the CGRA decision will be measured separately with 4 items using the SURE Scale (Sure of myself; Understand information; Risk-benefit ratio; Encouragement). Range from 0-4, with 0 indicating high decisional conflict.
1 month following the interventions for TP and TCN, and 1 months following the baseline survey for the UC arm.
Cancer Genetic Risk Assessment Intention
Time Frame: 1 month following the interventions for TP and TCN, and 1 months following the baseline survey for the UC arm.
Questionnaire: One item will measure future intention to get a cancer genetic risk assessment within the next 6 weeks. Responses for this item ranged from 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely likely).
1 month following the interventions for TP and TCN, and 1 months following the baseline survey for the UC arm.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
University of New Mexico

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Anita Y Kinney, PhD, RN, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 2, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 2, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 2, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 17, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 25, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 31, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 25, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Pro2018001350

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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