The Intersection of Oncology Care and Worker Well-Being

The goals of this study will be a greater understanding of cancer patients' well-being experience through the care/treatment continuum. An important aspect of the study is an understanding of work- and treatment-related challenges experienced by low-income men, many of whom will be Latino. At the 12-month observation period, the investigators will learn whether these men work long-term and how work status relates to well-being.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Solid Tumor
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: WellBQ; Behavioral: PROMIS

Detailed Description

Labor supply and well-being outcomes will be evaluated at 3 timepoints (baseline, start of treatment, 12 months). The likelihood of remaining employed will be estimated with linear probability models as is the convention in labor economics. The study team also estimate employment using analogous logistic models, reporting marginal effects. Weekly hours worked will be estimated using ordinary least squares regression. In addition to measuring raw hours, the team estimate change and percent change in hours worked from baseline. These models can be expanded to accommodate control variables for worksite and job characteristics as well as accommodations, satisfaction, and other covariates predictive employment and hours worked.

Well-being will be assessed as specified by the Worker Well-Being Questionnaire (WellBQ) Manual23 and Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information Systems (PROMIS) domains. For PROMIS, subjects respond to a 4-item questionnaire for each domain. Responses are summed and standardized to t-scores, with higher t-scores representing higher levels of the domain measured. For example, an individual with a PROMIS depression t-score of 50 is the average observed in the general U.S. population, while a t-score of 60 indicates one standard deviation above the average score in the general population and represents moderate depressive symptoms. Guided by previous health literature, the team consider a half standard deviation (5-point) increase from initial scores a meaningful improvement for all PROMIS domains. The literature also suggests that meaningful change ranges from 2 to 6 points. Secondary to Aim 1, the team will assess the correlation between PROMIS measures and WellBQ. The WellBQ is at an earlier stage of adoption, warranting side-by-side comparison with established instruments like PROMIS. The InCharge instrument will be evaluated as suggested by the developers.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 400

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Carol Brown, PhD; Phone Number: 562.587.9123; Email: carol.brown@cuanschutz.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Colorado
    • Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045
      • Recruiting
      • University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
      • Sub-Investigator: Carol E Brown
      • Sub-Investigator: Lee S Newman
      • Sub-Investigator: Liliana Tenney
      • Sub-Investigator: Brian D Williams
      • Contact: Carol Brown; Email: carol.brown@cuanschutz.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 21 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

sample consists of employed men newly diagnosed with a first primary solid tumor. define employed as working 10+ hours per week at diagnosis with the intention to continue working or return to work. Patients must be aged 21 to 70 years and within 2 months of initiating infusion chemotherapy, oral agent, or radiation therapy.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Males
• Ages 21 to 70
• Newly diagnosed with a first primary solid tumor
• colorectal, lung, and head and neck
• Currently employed (defined as working 10+ hours per week) with the intention to continue working or return to work
• Within 2 months of initiating infusion chemotherapy, oral agent, or radiation therapy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Employment Hours Worked	Employment and weekly hours worked will be assessed using questions from the Current Population Survey (CPS)	2 years
Worker Well-being	Worker well-being will be measured by the NIOSH WellBQ	2 years
Psychosocial Outcomes of Employed Males with Cancer using the validated Stress Thermometer.	Depression and anxiety will be measured using the well-validated Stress Thermometer, a single item tool using a 0 (no distress) to 10 (extreme distress) - point Likert scale resembling a thermometer.	2 years
Psychosocial Outcomes of Employed Males with Cancer using PROMIS domains	Psychosocial outcomes will be measured using the validated PROMIS domains. Subjects respond to a 4-item questionnaire for each domain. Responses are summed and standardized to t-scores, with higher t-scores representing higher levels of the domain measured. For example, an individual with a PROMIS depression t-score of 50 is the average observed in the general U.S. population, while a t-score of 60 indicates one standard deviation above the average score in the general population and represents moderate depressive symptoms.	2 years
Financial Burden of Employed Males with Cancer	A systematic review of methods for measuring financial burden following cancer treatment identified 6 subdomains that represent perceptions of and reactions to financial distress: (i) financial spending, (ii) use of passive financial resources, (iii) psychosocial responses, (iv) support seeking, (v) coping with care or (vi) coping with ones' lifestyle.64 We chose the InCharge Financial Well-being/Financial Distress Scale (8 items) that covers most domains and is widely used in cancer patients.	2 yearas

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Colorado, Denver
• Collaborators: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH/CDC)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Cathy Bradley, University of Colorado, Denver

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 4, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 20, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 10, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): February 22, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 10, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 6, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Chemotherapy; Radiation Therapy; Men; Newly Diagnosed Primary Solid Tumor; Employed; Oral Agent
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Endocrine System Diseases; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Endocrine Gland Neoplasms; Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1
• Other Study ID Numbers: 21-4139.cc; U19OH011227 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No