Improving Communication and Adherence in Black Breast Cancer Survivors (Sisters Informing Sisters) (SIS)

August 24, 2026 updated by: Virginia Commonwealth University

Improving Communication and Adherence in Black Breast Cancer Survivors

The purpose of this study is to test an evidence-based intervention designed to increase adherence to systemic therapy in Black women compared to enhanced usual care.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

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

Black women continue to experience worse breast cancer outcomes, which may be due to inadequate adherence to systemic therapies that can be improved via patient-centered communication. We developed and piloted the Sisters Informing SistersSM (SIS) intervention (survivor-led skill-building sessions and culturally tailored materials to activate Black breast cancer survivors in their medical encounters) and obtained promising findings. This project will compare in a two-arm RCT the impact of SIS vs. enhanced usual care (treatment recommendation summary form) on patient-centered communication and systemic treatment adherence; SIS tools may be integrated within existing clinical and support services.

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.
225

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • District of Columbia
      • Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States, 20010
        • MedStar Washington Hospital Center
      • Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States, 20007
        • MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
    • Virginia
      • Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23298
        • Massey Cancer Center

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Self-identify as Black
  • Newly diagnosed (~4 weeks post-definitive surgery and prior to initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy or endocrine therapy) patients (stage I-III)
  • Eligible for chemotherapy or endocrine therapy according to NCCN guidelines, but have not initiated systemic therapy
  • Ability to read and speak English
  • Ability to provide meaningful consent as determined by trained study personnel and/or a member of the patient's care team
  • No prior cancer treatment (other than skin cancer) in the two years preceding enrollment
  • Physicians Must be a license doctor of study patient(s)
  • Ability to speak English

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: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Sisters Informing Sisters Sessions
The intervention is peer-based and in concert with our theoretical model, builds upon positive role-modeling of the survivor coach to the patient, addresses behavioral expectations/capacities, and uses Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques. The intervention includes a culturally relevant coach's manual and a patient workbook that will be used to facilitate the coaching sessions.
Behavioral: SIS TALK Back Intervention
The participants in this arm will be seen by a trained survivor coach and receive culturally tailored intervention materials.
No Intervention: Enhanced Usual Care
Women in the EUC arm will receive usual care that includes standardized information in the public domain (NCI treatment information booklet). This booklet was chosen to provide women with national-level recommendations regarding treatment recommendations.

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
Assessing Study Adherence Behaviors- Initiation
Time Frame: 36 Months
Initiation will be measured for all therapies based on the number of participants starting at least one cycle of prescribed therapy
36 Months
Assessing Study Adherence Behaviors- Delay of Adjuvant or Endocrine Therapy.
Time Frame: 36 Months
Initiation Delay of therapy will be measured by the number of participant's days from definitive surgery date to the date of her first cycle of adjuvant systemic therapy. Classifications of delay are dichotomized according to published reports (<60 days primary measure).
36 Months
Assessing Study Adherence Behaviors- Overall Chemotherapy Adherence
Time Frame: 36 Months
Overall chemotherapy adherence will be measured by the number of participants that complete chemotherapy. Chemotherapy adherence will be measured as having at least 80% or more of the recommended doses. Adherence will be calculated based on the planned and expected number of cycles divided by the number received (i.e., 6 chemotherapy cycles received/8 expected = 75% adherent).
36 Months

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
Assess Perceived Involvement in Care: PCC Outcomes - Level of Engagement in Decision Making
Time Frame: 36 Months
The number of participants level of engagement in decision-making will be assessed by utilizing The Perceived Involvement in Care (PCC) 13-Item scale. PCC will be assessed via direct observation of medical encounters through a quantitative analysis of audiotaped visits.
36 Months
Assess Perceived Involvement in Care: PCC Outcomes - Perceptions of Doctor Behaviors by determining a more patient-centered encounter vs a more biomedically focused encounter.
Time Frame: 36 Months
The number of participants level of engagement in perceptions of doctor behaviors will be assessed by utilizing The Perceived Involvement in Care (PCC) 13-Item scale. PCC will be assessed via direct observation of medical encounters through a quantitative analysis of audiotaped visits. A value >1 indicates a more patient-centered encounter, whereas a value <1 indicates a more biomedically focused encounter.
36 Months
Assess Perceived Involvement in Care: PCC Outcomes - Perceptions of Patient Behaviors by determining Perceptions of Doctor Behaviors by determining a more patient-centered encounter vs a more biomedically focused encounter
Time Frame: 36 Months
The number of participants level of engagement in perceptions of patient behaviors will be assessed by utilizing The Perceived Involvement in Care (PCC) 13-Item scale. PCC will be assessed via direct observation of medical encounters through a quantitative analysis of audiotaped visits. A value >1 indicates a more patient-centered encounter, whereas a value <1 indicates a more biomedically focused encounter.
36 Months
Determine Process and Implementation Outcomes
Time Frame: 36 Months
Assess the number of participants who Consent to Participate in the trial
36 Months
Determine Process and Implementation Outcomes
Time Frame: 36 Months
Assess the number of participants that participate in the trial after they sign consent
36 Months
Determine Process and Implementation Outcomes
Time Frame: 36 Months
Assess the Cost of the trial per arm. Personnel time costs will be obtained by multiplying the staff time. costs by hourly average wage and fringe benefit rates. The staff time will include the training to identify at-risk women and the time spent administering/reviewing study materials including the treatment summary request form
36 Months

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.
Virginia Commonwealth University

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.
Georgetown University

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: Vanessa B Sheppard, Ph.D, Virginia Commonwealth University

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.
March 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
February 28, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
February 28, 2027

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).
April 12, 2022

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.
April 12, 2022

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.
April 19, 2022

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.
August 26, 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.
August 24, 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.
August 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.
  • MCC-19-15740
  • HM20016396 (Other Identifier: Virginia Commonwealth University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

There is no plan to make IPD available.

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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