GutCheck: Optimization of a Personalized Mobile Health App for Survivors of Gastrointestinal Cancer

June 16, 2026 updated by: Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
There are two components to the study: a patient and a clinician study. The clinician study will include one-hour semi-structured interviews with oncology specialists to identify facilitators and barriers to integrating digital diet interventions into the clinical workflow, and to understand their needs and preferences for digital diet interventions. The patient study aims to investigate initial feasibility, efficacy and acceptability of the GutCheck app and intervention. It will last 9 weeks and involves 2 study visits and 2 active phases with a transition week and optional transition visit between phases. During active phases, participants will be asked to use the GutCheck app every day. Prior to the first active phase, participants will go through informed consent and app training. The first active phase will last two weeks and will focus on tracking participants' diet, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and stress. The data collected during the first active phase will be used to identify any potential trigger foods that may contribute to GI symptoms, but only if the participant reports experiencing GI symptoms. Between active phases, participants will have one Transition Week, where results from the first phase are given to the participants with the option to attend a Transition Week Visit. The second active phase will last four weeks and will involve the message intervention. A single-blind, micro-randomized trial design will be used to repeatedly randomize participants to different intervention combinations, determining both the timing and frequency of intervention message delivery throughout the day. Lastly, there will be an exit visit and interview within a week from the intervention to collect post-intervention measures and ask about the participant's experience with the GutCheck app.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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.

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 (Estimated)

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.
200

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.
  • Name: Annie W. Lin, PhD, RD
  • Phone Number: (612) 356 2001
  • Email: awlin@umn.edu

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion

Survivors of GI cancer are eligible if they are:

  • ≥18 years old
  • reside in or have received cancer care in Minnesota
  • own a smartphone • consent to install the GutCheck app and discontinue diet tracking in other lifestyle apps (e.g., MyFitness, Fitbit, Noom).
  • are English-speaking
  • have received a GI cancer diagnosis (e.g., esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, pancreatic, etc)
  • At least 2 months post-cancer treatment

Inclusion criteria for oncology specialists (oncologists, advanced practice providers, nurses, dietitians, and patient navigators) include:

  • Have interacted with at least 1 cancer patient or survivor in the past month.
  • Have experience working with electronic health records (EHR).

Exclusion

  • Currently pregnant (Patient Study ONLY)
  • Pregnancy status may be self-reported by the participant.
  • Individuals who are postmenopausal, surgically sterile, or otherwise unable to become pregnant are not subject to this exclusion.
  • Active cancer or receiving treatment for another cancer.
  • Currently taking or has taken antibiotics in the last 3 months.
  • Diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis), and/or celiac disease.
  • Involuntary weight loss of 10% or more of usual body weight within 6 months, or involuntary loss of 5% or more of usual body weight in 1 month.

Oncology specialists' exclusion criteria include:

  • Unable to participate in an interview

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: Crossover 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.
Active Comparator: Personalization Level - No
The "no personalization" group will receive generic push messages based on United States Department of Agriculture and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. Within their personalization level, participants will be automatically randomized daily to varying message frequency (one vs. three times per day) and timing (preferred times vs. established times). After each message, all participants will be asked to evaluate whether the message was useful using a 3-point Likert-type visual scale in the app.
Diagnostic test: Stool Sample
Participants who were selected to collect their stool samples will be mailed their second kit before the last week (week 8) of intervention. Participants will collect their stool sample during week 8 and mail them to be processed prior to the Exit Interview Visit.
Other: App Activity
Participants will be asked to log their food and beverages, stress, and gastrointestinal symptoms daily. They will also track physical activity.
Active Comparator: Personalization Level - Low
The "low personalization" group will receive similar messages, with occasional use of their names and references to GI cancer. Within their personalization level, participants will be automatically randomized daily to varying message frequency (one vs. three times per day) and timing (preferred times vs. established times). After each message, all participants will be asked to evaluate whether the message was useful using a 3-point Likert-type visual scale in the app.
Diagnostic test: Stool Sample
Participants who were selected to collect their stool samples will be mailed their second kit before the last week (week 8) of intervention. Participants will collect their stool sample during week 8 and mail them to be processed prior to the Exit Interview Visit.
Other: App Activity
Participants will be asked to log their food and beverages, stress, and gastrointestinal symptoms daily. They will also track physical activity.
Active Comparator: Personalization Level - High
The "high personalization" group messages will be further tailored to age and gender to provide social comparisons. This group will receive food-related GI messages based on their responses from the personalization quiz during Week 1. Messages will emphasize affordable, commonly available foods to increase likelihood of accessibility. Within their personalization level, participants will be automatically randomized daily to varying message frequency (one vs. three times per day) and timing (preferred times vs. established times). After each message, all participants will be asked to evaluate whether the message was useful using a 3-point Likert-type visual scale in the app.
Diagnostic test: Stool Sample
Participants who were selected to collect their stool samples will be mailed their second kit before the last week (week 8) of intervention. Participants will collect their stool sample during week 8 and mail them to be processed prior to the Exit Interview Visit.
Other: App Activity
Participants will be asked to log their food and beverages, stress, and gastrointestinal symptoms daily. They will also track physical activity.

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
Adherence of Diet Tracking
Time Frame: 1 year
Average count of days where the participant tracked at least two episodes a day.
1 year
Adherence of Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptom and Stress Level Tracking
Time Frame: 1 year
Average count of days of GI symptom and stress tracking combination (i.e., once a day for two weeks for both).
1 year

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.
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota

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.
Minnesota Clinical Trials Network

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 (Estimated)

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.
December 1, 2026

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.
June 1, 2029

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.
June 1, 2030

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).
June 16, 2026

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.
June 16, 2026

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.
June 22, 2026

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 22, 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 16, 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.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 2025LS135
  • MNCCTN038 (Other Identifier: Minnesota Clinical Trials Network (MNCCTN))

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.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings