An observational study in Lung Cancer, sponsored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Active, not recruiting at 7 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-02-05.
Sponsored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · Observational
The purpose of this study is to better understand communication between patients with lung cancer and their clinicians. The investigators are also interested in patient's perceptions of the quality of communication with his/her clinician and how these perceptions may impact patient outcomes. The clinician participating in this study and has given us permission to approach his/her eligible patients for study participation.
7,243 studies on the registry are indexed under Lung Neoplasms; 1,557 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 294 is above the median of 189 across 1,514 observational studies indexed under Lung Neoplasms.
Browse Lung Neoplasms studies →Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is the lead sponsor of 1,930 studies on the registry; 328 are open to participants now.
Of its 129 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 66 (51%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
MSK thoracic clinic, pulmonary clinic
Clinician Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Clinician Exclusion Criteria
Following informed consent, the patient will complete the patient questionnaire, either electronically, by phone, or on paper. Patients who prefer to complete the survey electronically will be emailed a link to access to a secure electronic (web-based) version of the study assessment which they will have access to from any computer. We will include an introductory email with the survey link. Will audio-record actual patient-physician clinical consultations with lung cancer patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). Completing the survey will take about 15 minutes. Answer a few open-ended questions about the consultation with the doctor. We will audio record your answers to these questions. This will take about 15 minutes.
Behavioral: Questionnaire · Behavioral: Patient Interview · Behavioral: Audio recordings of clinical consultations
Will have 5 visits/consultations with their patients audio recorded.
Behavioral: Audio recordings of clinical consultations
Following informed consent, the patient will complete the patient questionnaire, either electronically, by phone, or on paper. Patients who prefer to complete the survey electronically will be emailed a link to access to a secure electronic (web-based) version of the study assessment which they will have access to from any computer. Completing the survey will take about 15 minutes.
Behavioral: Questionnaire
Following informed consent, clinicians will be scheduled to participate in a 2 hour training on empathic communication with lung cancer patients. Surveys will be collected from 6 patients (3 pre-training, 3 post-training). Clinicians will complete one standardized patient assessment before training (pre-SPA) and one assessment after training (post-SPA). These are 12-minute video-recorded clinic consultations with standardized patients (trained actors).
Behavioral: 2-hour empathic communication skills training · Behavioral: Standardized Patient Assessments · Behavioral: Training evaluation · Behavioral: Patient recruitment
patients will fill out a questionnaire about their perceived stigma, satisfaction with communication, and psychological distress.
Then they will participate in a brief in-person interview about their perceived stigma during the clinical consultation
Patients will fill out a questionnaire about their perceived stigma and satisfaction with their clinician's communication.
2-hour empathic communication skills training
pre-training SPA, post-training SPA
Clinicians will complete an evaluation assessing the empathic communication training module.
6 of the clinician's patients (3 pre-training, 3 post-training) will be recruited to complete brief surveys assessing clinician communication
Part 1: Systematic coding of clinical encounters and the perceived stigma within the clinical consultation
interview along with patient-reported data from the post-consultation questionnaire will be used.
Time frame: 1 year
Part 1: All variables (stigma, satisfaction with communication, psychological distress)
will be measured via post-consultation questionnaires
Time frame: 1 year
Part 2: We will pilot test the effectiveness of the empathic communication skills training module
for clinicians: physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, fellows, residents, clinical nurses, and clinical nurse specialists by using the communication skills training module
Time frame: 1 year
# of patients referred to MSK's Tobacco Treatment Program (TTP)
will be determined via review of the medical record and/or Tobacco Treatment Program database
Time frame: 1 year
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Feb 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center