ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03426878CHARMUpdated Sep 11, 2025Results posted

Cancer Health Assessments Reaching Many

An interventional study of Modified genetic counseling and Traditional genetic counseling in Hereditary Cancer Syndrome, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Completed at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 49 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-11.

Sponsored by Kaiser Permanente · Not applicable, Interventional, and Screening

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Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
967
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 49 Years
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-13

Among 33 studies in Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary with a site in United States — 19 open to participants now, 21 under way, none of them phase 3. Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary · United States.

Enrollment
6th of 18
967 · median 588
Started
2018
the only one that year
No phase
17 of 33
11 open now
Registered
12th of 33
by date
Lead sponsor
1 of 33
Kaiser Permanente

Among the 33 studies in Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary with a site in United States, this one is the 6th largest by enrollment of the 18 interventional ones that give a count, is the only one that started in 2018, is one of 17 with no phase, and was the 12th registered.

Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary

47 studies on the registry are indexed under Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary; 25 are open to participants now.

Browse Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary studies →

Open to participants now

19 of the 33 studies in Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary with a site in United States are open now. Recruiting first, the newest first:

14 more — sign in →

All 19 open studies →

A study can be open while its sites in United States have not opened yet or have stopped. Only those recruiting at a site in United States →

Who these studies take

Of the 20 Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary studies recruiting now, 11 (55%) set no upper age limit and 6 (30%) stop at 75 or younger; 7 take children under 18; 9 take healthy volunteers.

This study: 18 Years to 49 Years · all sexes · healthy volunteers too.

The full table on the hub →

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Watch this landscapeDownload CSVNarrow it in search →With an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 33 studies in Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary with a site in United States, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

The CHARM (Cancer Health Assessment Reaching Many) study will assess the utility of clinical exome sequencing and how it affects care in diverse populations. The study population includes adults at risk for hereditary cancer syndromes.

The primary objective is to implement a hereditary cancer risk assessment program in healthy 18-49 year-olds in primary care settings within a vertically integrated health delivery system (Kaiser Permanente) and a federal qualified health center (Denver Health). The investigators will assess clinical exome sequencing implementation and interpretation, as well as tailored interactions for low health literacy including a contextualized consent process, and a modified approach to results disclosure and genetic counseling. The investigators will also assess the clinical utility (healthcare utilization and adherence to recommended care) and personal utility of primary and additional results from clinical exome sequencing, and evaluate the ethical and policy implications of considering personal utility of genomic information decisions for health care coverage.

Read the detailed description

Aim 1. Implement a hereditary cancer risk-assessment program in healthy 18-49-year-old adults in primary care settings, with stakeholder input, and offer exome sequencing to clarify risk.

Aim 1A. Identify and recruit 880 adult participants at-risk of a hereditary cancer syndrome.

Aim 1B: Generate medical exome sequence data and interpret variants. Aim 1C: Disclose findings from medical exome sequencing, incorporate results into the electronic medical record (EMR), and facilitate downstream patient management and coordination of care with the provider.

Aim 1D. Engage stakeholders to tailor and optimize the program in diverse populations.

Aim 2. Evaluate and tailor for diverse populations the critical interactions in the program, including the consent process, choices for reporting additional findings, and the response to results disclosure.

Aim 2A. Design, implement, and assess a contextualized consent process to support informed decision-making about participation in research about medical exome sequencing.

Aim 2B. Design, implement, and compare a novel decision aid in the second half of the study for selecting the optional categories of additional findings with the approach we developed in CSER1 that offered a category checklist.

Aim 2C. Design, implement, and compare a modified (communication-focused) approach to results disclosure, genetic counseling, and decision making with a standard (information-focused) approach.

Aim 3. Evaluate the clinical utility (including personal utility) of using exome sequencing to diagnose individuals with hereditary cancer syndromes and provide additional findings.

Aim 3A: Measure the yield of reportable findings for hereditary cancer syndromes and additional findings.

Aim 3B: Evaluate subsequent healthcare utilization for all study participants and adherence to recommended care among individuals who are identified with a hereditary cancer syndrome in diverse settings.

Aim 3C. Assess the personal utility of exome sequencing, including primary and additional findings.

Aim 4. Address pragmatic and ethical challenges to the integration of genomic medicine into clinical and health systems decision-making.

Aim 4A: Develop and pilot a system that integrates genomic, clinical, and healthcare utilization data to inform clinicians and patients acting on genomic information and to reduce care gaps in patient management.

Aim 4B: Advance the analysis of the ethical and policy implications of incorporating personal utility of genomic information into the decision framework for healthcare coverage.

03

Conditions studied

  • Hereditary Cancer Syndrome

Keywords

  • Lynch syndrome
  • Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 49 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Kaiser Permanente Northwest or Denver Health patient
  • Screens as high risk for a hereditary cancer syndrome via the risk assessment tool algorithms OR have unknown family history on either their mother or father's side of the family (or both)
  • No known prior testing for familial mutations predisposing them to Lynch syndrome or hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
  • English or Spanish speaker

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participant self-reported prior testing for Lynch syndrome (LS) or Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) syndrome or identified as having previous comprehensive testing via Kaiser Permanente data files
  • Not an English or Spanish speaker
  • Unable to provide
  • Don't want results placed in their medical record
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Screening
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
967 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Traditional genetic counseling

    This will be typical genetic counseling that a patient would receive in a traditional genetic counseling setting.

    Other: Traditional genetic counseling

  • Experimental
    Modified genetic counseling

    This will be genetic counseling that is modified for a lower literacy patient and will include fewer technical terms and less complicated genetic information.

    Other: Modified genetic counseling

Interventions

  • OtherModified genetic counseling

    After participants at high risk for a hereditary cancer syndrome receive exome sequencing, they will receive modified genetic counseling to help them understand the results.

  • OtherTraditional genetic counseling

    After participants at high risk for a hereditary cancer syndrome receive exome sequencing, they will receive traditional genetic counseling to help them understand the results.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Positive Findings for Hereditary Cancer Syndromes

    Number of people found to have a pathogenic (P) or likely pathogenic (LP) variant in one of the cancer genes associated with Lynch syndrome or hereditary breast and ovarian cancer

    Time frame: For each person, the test result was available within approximately one month of the receipt of that person's specimen at the laboratory.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Positive Findings for Other Medically Actionable Genetic Conditions

    Number of people with pathogenic variants found in genes related to medically actionable hereditary conditions (other than cancer)

    Time frame: For each person, the test result was available within approximately one month of the receipt of that person's specimen at the laboratory.

  2. Positive Findings for a Selected List of Carrier Conditions

    Number of people with pathogenic variants found in genes related to common carrier conditions

    Time frame: For each person, the test result was available within approximately one month of the receipt of that person's specimen at the laboratory.

  3. Number of Participants With Healthcare Utilization Measured Via Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Data

    Downstream healthcare utilization of specific recommended procedures (e.g., colonoscopy, mammography, surgery) will be compared between CHARM participants who received at least one actionable risk management recommendation from study genetic counselors and those who did not receive an actionable risk management recommendation.

    Time frame: Within 12 months of participant receiving information about their hereditary cancer syndrome risk

  4. Participant Understanding of Recommended Care

    Measurement of participant's understanding of the recommended care based on their genetic test result will be assessed using a validated survey tool

    Time frame: 2 weeks post result disclosure, 6 months post result disclosure

  5. Participant Understanding of Genetic Test Results

    "Perceived understanding of results" This novel 5-item measure asked, "Thinking about only your cancer genetic test result, please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements." The 5 items were assessed on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). A principal-axis factor analysis strongly supported a 1 factor solution (accounting for 65.4% of the variance in these items), providing evidence for structural validity, and a Cronbach's α of 0.90, providing strong evidence for internal consistency. The scale was scored using the mean; thus, the possible scores can range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater understanding.

    Time frame: 2 weeks post genetic result disclosure

  6. Participant Satisfaction of Genetic Counseling

    This novel measure consisted of 4 items adapted from the Patient Assessment of Communication Effectiveness scale, 8 items developed by the consortium related to participants' overall satisfaction with the results and experience of results disclosures, and 6 items that focused on key elements of modified genetic counseling. Items were measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Using principal-axis factor analyses using oblique rotation, we found the 3-factor solution (accounting for 62.5% of the variance in the items) to provide adequate simple structure with conceptually meaningful factors and thus, created subscale scores for each set of items (6 loaded on each factor): "genetic counseling relationship score", "communication difficulty score", and "communication ease score". The possible mean scores can range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating a better outcome.

    Time frame: 2 weeks post genetic results disclosure

  7. Family Communication

    Measurement of the degree to which participants shared their genetic test results with various family members will be assessed using a validated survey tool

    Time frame: Assessed 6 months post result disclosure

  8. Personal Utility of Genomic Sequencing (Qualitative Interview Only)

    Participant's perceived utility of obtaining genetic testing and genetic counseling were assessed. Data collection used semi-structured qualitative interviews. Analyses were conducted using a modified grounded theory approach and explored the five utility domains of the model: clinical, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and social. The analysis examined how well this multifaceted perceived utility model applied to the responses provided during the interviews. The qualitative data was not quantified in any way and can not be represented in a tabular format.

    Time frame: Qualitative interviews were conducted within 1 month of results disclosure; a subset of these participants were interviewed again at 6 months post-results disclosure.

07

Results

Posted Sep 11, 2025

Participant flow

Recruitment took place between August 2018 and August 2020 through email, text, and post-cards. Interested patients between 18 and 49 years completed a web-based family history risk assessment to determine eligibility. Participants who screened as high risk were provided with the options to receive exome based panel testing through the study. Participants who consented were provided a saliva sample collection kit that could be returned by mail or to their clinic.

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestonePeople Were Eligible and Consented
Started967
Submitted a sample for testing827
Total who received results696
Received results in "traditional genetic counseling" arm344
Received results in "modified genetic counseling" arm352
Completed582
Not completed385
Withdrew: Did not return saliva sample to laboratory126
Withdrew: Dna extraction and sequencing was not successful14
Withdrew: Declined to receive results3
Withdrew: Received negative results by mailed letter65
Withdrew: Lost to follow-up177

Outcome measures

PrimaryPositive Findings for Hereditary Cancer Syndromes

Number of people found to have a pathogenic (P) or likely pathogenic (LP) variant in one of the cancer genes associated with Lynch syndrome or hereditary breast and ovarian cancer

Time frame:
For each person, the test result was available within approximately one month of the receipt of that person's specimen at the laboratory.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Positive Findings for Hereditary Cancer Syndromes
ParticipantsParticipants With a Viable Sample
P/LP variant associated w breast and/or ovarian cancer risk28
P/LP variant associated with colon cancer risk8
P/LP variant associated with cancer risk but not with breast, ovarian, colon, or endometrial cancer4
No variant associated with cancer risk found787
SecondaryPositive Findings for Other Medically Actionable Genetic Conditions

Number of people with pathogenic variants found in genes related to medically actionable hereditary conditions (other than cancer)

Time frame:
For each person, the test result was available within approximately one month of the receipt of that person's specimen at the laboratory.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Positive Findings for Other Medically Actionable Genetic Conditions
ParticipantsParticipants With a Viable Sample
Positive Findings for Other Medically Actionable Genetic Conditions9
SecondaryPositive Findings for a Selected List of Carrier Conditions

Number of people with pathogenic variants found in genes related to common carrier conditions

Time frame:
For each person, the test result was available within approximately one month of the receipt of that person's specimen at the laboratory.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Positive Findings for a Selected List of Carrier Conditions
ParticipantsParticipants Who Consented to "Additional Genetic Findings"
Positive Findings for a Selected List of Carrier Conditions55
SecondaryNumber of Participants With Healthcare Utilization Measured Via Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Data

Downstream healthcare utilization of specific recommended procedures (e.g., colonoscopy, mammography, surgery) will be compared between CHARM participants who received at least one actionable risk management recommendation from study genetic counselors and those who did not receive an actionable risk management recommendation.

Time frame:
Within 12 months of participant receiving information about their hereditary cancer syndrome risk
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With Healthcare Utilization Measured Via Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Data
ParticipantsParticipants With an Actionable Risk Management RecommendationParticipants Without an Actionable Risk Management Recommendation
Number of Participants With Healthcare Utilization Measured Via Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Data6153
SecondaryParticipant Understanding of Recommended Care

Measurement of participant's understanding of the recommended care based on their genetic test result will be assessed using a validated survey tool

Time frame:
2 weeks post result disclosure, 6 months post result disclosure

No measurements were reported for this outcome.

SecondaryParticipant Understanding of Genetic Test Results

"Perceived understanding of results" This novel 5-item measure asked, "Thinking about only your cancer genetic test result, please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements." The 5 items were assessed on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). A principal-axis factor analysis strongly supported a 1 factor solution (accounting for 65.4% of the variance in these items), providing evidence for structural validity, and a Cronbach's α of 0.90, providing strong evidence for internal consistency. The scale was scored using the mean; thus, the possible scores can range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater understanding.

Time frame:
2 weeks post genetic result disclosure
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Participant Understanding of Genetic Test Results
score on a scaleTraditional Genetic CounselingModified Genetic Counseling
Participant Understanding of Genetic Test Results4.38 (4.31 to 4.44)4.42 (4.35 to 4.49)
SecondaryParticipant Satisfaction of Genetic Counseling

This novel measure consisted of 4 items adapted from the Patient Assessment of Communication Effectiveness scale, 8 items developed by the consortium related to participants' overall satisfaction with the results and experience of results disclosures, and 6 items that focused on key elements of modified genetic counseling. Items were measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Using principal-axis factor analyses using oblique rotation, we found the 3-factor solution (accounting for 62.5% of the variance in the items) to provide adequate simple structure with conceptually meaningful factors and thus, created subscale scores for each set of items (6 loaded on each factor): "genetic counseling relationship score", "communication difficulty score", and "communication ease score". The possible mean scores can range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating a better outcome.

Time frame:
2 weeks post genetic results disclosure
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Participant Satisfaction of Genetic Counseling
score on a scaleTraditional Genetic CounselingModified Genetic Counseling
Communication ease score4.68 (4.62 to 4.73)4.70 (4.64 to 4.75)
Communication difficulty score1.82 (1.72 to 1.92)1.83 (1.74 to 1.92)
Genetic counseling relationship score4.29 (4.22 to 4.35)4.37 (4.32 to 4.43)
SecondaryFamily Communication

Measurement of the degree to which participants shared their genetic test results with various family members will be assessed using a validated survey tool

Time frame:
Assessed 6 months post result disclosure
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Family Communication
ParticipantsParticipants Who Received Genetic Test Results and Completed Certain Survey Questions
Family Communication466
SecondaryPersonal Utility of Genomic Sequencing (Qualitative Interview Only)

Participant's perceived utility of obtaining genetic testing and genetic counseling were assessed. Data collection used semi-structured qualitative interviews. Analyses were conducted using a modified grounded theory approach and explored the five utility domains of the model: clinical, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and social. The analysis examined how well this multifaceted perceived utility model applied to the responses provided during the interviews. The qualitative data was not quantified in any way and can not be represented in a tabular format.

Time frame:
Qualitative interviews were conducted within 1 month of results disclosure; a subset of these participants were interviewed again at 6 months post-results disclosure.

Results for this outcome have not been posted.

Adverse events

Collected over N/a. Adverse event data was not collected for this study. This data would not result from the CHARM study procedures. The IRB did not require adverse event data collection.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
All Enrolled Participants———

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Baseline Participants
Mean36.1 ± 8.2
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Baseline Participants
Female759
Male208
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race/Ethnicity, Customized(Participants)Baseline Participants
Asian, non-Hispanic53
Black or African American, non-Hispanic57
Hispanic/Latino(a)337
White or European American, non-Hispanic438
Selected multiple racial categories, non-Hispanic47
Selected another racial category28
Unknown7
Household income
Household income(Participants)Baseline Participants
Less than $60,000 per year489
$60,000 to less than $100,000 per year200
$100,000 or greater per year141
Unknown/missing137
Education level
Education level(Participants)Baseline Participants
Less than high school graduate103
High school graduate or equivalent89
Some post-high school training186
Associate (2-year) college or occupational, technical, or vocational program degree123
Bachelor's degree (for example: BA, AB, BS)201
Graduate or professional degree (for example: MA, MBA, JD, MD, PhD)136
Unknown/missing129
08

Study locations

2 sites
  • Denver Health
    Denver, Colorado 80204, United States
  • Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research
    Portland, Oregon 97227, United States
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Okuyama S, White LL, Anderson KP, Medina E, Deutsch S, Ransom C, Jackson P, Kauffman TL, Mittendorf KF, Leo MC, Bulkley JE, Wilfond BS, Goddard KA, Feigelson HS. Evaluating cancer genetic services in a safety net system: overcoming barriers for a lasting impact beyond the CHARM research project. J Community Genet. 2023 Jun;14(3):329-336. doi: 10.1007/s12687-023-00647-x. Epub 2023 May 1. PubMed 37126135 ↗
  • Mittendorf KF, Lewis HS, Duenas DM, Eubanks DJ, Gilmore MJ, Goddard KAB, Joseph G, Kauffman TL, Kraft SA, Lindberg NM, Reyes AA, Shuster E, Syngal S, Ukaegbu C, Zepp JM, Wilfond BS, Porter KM. Literacy-adapted, electronic family history assessment for genetics referral in primary care: patient user insights from qualitative interviews. Hered Cancer Clin Pract. 2022 Jun 10;20(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s13053-022-00231-3. PubMed 35689290 ↗
  • Mittendorf KF, Kauffman TL, Amendola LM, Anderson KP, Biesecker BB, Dorschner MO, Duenas DM, Eubanks DJ, Feigelson HS, Gilmore MJ, Hunter JE, Joseph G, Kraft SA, Lee SSJ, Leo MC, Liles EG, Lindberg NM, Muessig KR, Okuyama S, Porter KM, Riddle LS, Rolf BA, Rope AF, Zepp JM, Jarvik GP, Wilfond BS, Goddard KAB; CHARM study team. Cancer Health Assessments Reaching Many (CHARM): A clinical trial assessing a multimodal cancer genetics services delivery program and its impact on diverse populations. Contemp Clin Trials. 2021 Jul;106:106432. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2021.106432. Epub 2021 May 11. PubMed 33984519 ↗

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — Genotype and Phenotype data will be uploaded to ANVIL. Variant data will be uploaded to ClinVar.

Time frame: Data will be loaded to ANVIL and ClinVar at least annually beginning in 2018.

Access criteria: Subject to ANVIL and ClinVar regulations.

Data sharing details ↗ · www.genome.gov

10

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from Aug 2018 to primary completion in Aug 2020, 24 months.

Results were first posted in Sep 2025, 5 years after primary completion.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jan 11, 2018
First posted
Feb 8, 2018
StartActual
Aug 15, 2018
Primary completionActual
Aug 20, 2020
CompletionActual
Feb 1, 2022
Results first posted
Sep 11, 2025
Last update
Sep 11, 2025
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 11, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03426878
Lead sponsor
Kaiser Permanente
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Feb 8, 2018
Start date
Aug 15, 2018
Primary completion
Aug 20, 2020
Completion
Feb 1, 2022
Results posted
Sep 11, 2025
Last update
Sep 11, 2025

Study contacts

Michael Leo, PhD
principal investigator · Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest
Benjamin S Wilfond, MD
principal investigator · Seattle Children's Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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