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TerminatedNCT03827993Updated Jun 28, 2022

Improving Sexual Health in Gynecologic Cancer Patients

An interventional study of dedicated sexual health clinic appointment in Gynecologic Cancer, sponsored by Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-06-28.

Sponsored by Case Comprehensive Cancer Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

Why this study was terminated
PI left institution
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
2
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
Female
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Study summary

This study seeks to find out if an early intervention of providing directed sexual health education and treatment for gynecologic cancer patients will improve patient outcomes as compared to routine clinic visits.

Read the detailed description

Participants will be randomly placed to one of two groups. This random placement allows our research study to be more significant when the study team checks the results. In one group, the "control" group, participants will attend their usual clinic visits with their provider every 3 months for a year. At each clinic visit participants will be asked to fill out 3 short surveys (each takes less than 3 minutes). Participants will have a gynecologic exam like they routinely would for cancer surveillance, and confidential notes will be made regarding their exam to assess for improvement or worsening over time.

In the other group, the "intervention" group, participants will attend one focused Sexual Health Clinic visit, where a provider specialized in sexual health for cancer patients will review a focused history and physical, and will provide education, as well as recommend any helpful treatments.

This provider may or may not recommend follow up with her again after this initial visit. Participants will otherwise continue the usual every 3 month clinic visits with their Gynecologic Oncologist for a year. At each clinic visit participants will be asked to fill out 3 short surveys (each takes less than 3 minutes). Participants will have a gynecologic exam like they routinely would for cancer surveillance, and confidential notes will be made regarding their exam to assess for improvement or worsening over time. Participants will not need any additional blood draws or procedures. During their gynecologic exam, a swab will be collected to test participants vaginal pH - a test to see the health of their vaginal flora.

In brief, participants will have their usual 4 clinic visits: one at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. At each visit, participants will fill out 3 surveys and have a gynecologic exam performed as they usually would, but with a vaginal swab for vaginal pH. This swab will be assessed in the clinic by their provider as the swab will change colors to show pH at the time of exam. This result will be noted in the participants' chart and the swab will be discarded.

02

Conditions studied

  • Gynecologic Cancer
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center is the lead sponsor of 484 studies on the registry; 59 are open to participants now.

Of its 74 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 45 (61%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Able to consent
  • Screening positive for sexual health dysfunction as per baseline FSFI
  • Diagnosed with any gynecologic malignancy

It is acceptable to have received treatment prior to or during enrollment, including prior surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormonal therapy, or clinical trial.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unable to speak English
  • Patients unable to consent
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
2 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Routine surveillance

    Routine surveillance consists of attending gynecologic oncology office visits and being provided with an educational pamphlet discussing common sexual health concerns in gynecologic cancer patients, describing vaginal dilators, moisturizers, and lubrication. Resources for psychosocial counseling, physical therapy, and the sexual health clinic will be provided as well. Participants will have follow up at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Baseline visit consists of the initial visit where the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) screen was performed. Subsequent follow up visits will consist of FSFI, Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS), Kessler 10 surveys, and clinical assessment with Vaginal Assessment Scale and Vulvar Assessment Scale (VAS and VuAS).

  • Experimental
    Dedicated sexual health clinic appointment

    Dedicated sexual health clinic appointment with a physician provider focused on sexual health in this population. This will consist of the provider performing a focused history and physical, who will then determine need for appropriate treatment and management, which may consist of recommendations for medications, psychosocial counseling, physical therapy, and/or dilator use, but are not required. The participants will follow up at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after initial visit, either with the sexual health focused provider or their primary gynecologic oncologist, as determined by the needs of the participant per the provider.

    Behavioral: dedicated sexual health clinic appointment

Interventions

  • Behavioraldedicated sexual health clinic appointment

    Intervention will consist of a dedicated sexual health clinic appointment with a physician provider focused on sexual health in this population. This provider will perform a focused history and physical, and will then determine need for appropriate treatment and management, which may consist of recommendations for medications, psychosocial counseling, physical therapy, and/or dilator use, but are not required.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in sexual dysfunction as measured by FSFI

    Change in sexual function as measured by FSFI, a 19-question, standardized scale of female sexual function, validated in cancer survivors as compared to start of study.

    Time frame: At 3, 6, 9, and 12 months from start of treatment

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in sexual distress as measured by FSDS

    Change in sexual distress score as measured by FSDS, a 13-question, validated questionnaire assessing sexually related personal distress in women with female sexual dysfunction. This questionnaire will be used for follow up visits to help assess the level of distress participants are enduring related to their sexual dysfunction.

    Time frame: At 3, 6, 9, and 12 months from start of treatment

  2. Change in psychologic distress as measured by Kessler K10 Scale

    Change in psychologic distress as measured by Kessler K10 Scale, a 10-question, validated questionnaire assessing psychological distress. This survey will be used at follow up visits to help determine baseline psychological distress unrelated to sexual distress for a more global picture of the participants' coping throughout their illness. Scores range from 10 to 50 with higher scores indicating worse distress symptoms.

    Time frame: At 3, 6, 9, and 12 months from start of treatment

  3. Change in clinical assessment of vaginal symptoms as measured by VAS

    Change in vaginal symptoms as measured by VAS, a 4-item validated clinical measure of vaginal health, with scores ranging from 0-12 and higher scores indicating worse symptoms.

    Time frame: At 3, 6, 9, and 12 months from start of treatment

  4. Change in clinical assessment of vulvar symptoms as measured by VuAS

    Change in vulvar symptoms as measured by VAS, a 4-item validated clinical measure of vulvar health with scores ranging from 0-12 and higher scores indicating worse symptoms.

    Time frame: At 3, 6, 9, and 12 months from start of treatment

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer institute, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Cleveland, Ohio 44195, United States
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — Sensitive personal information collected regarding sexual health, concern for recruitment of patients with data sharing

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 28, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03827993
Lead sponsor
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Feb 4, 2019
Start date
Jul 22, 2019
Primary completion
Jun 15, 2022
Completion
Jun 15, 2022
Last update
Jun 28, 2022

Study contacts

Stephanie Ricci, MD
principal investigator · Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer institute, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Oversight

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

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This study is terminated, as verified in Jun 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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