An interventional study of BRIGHT and Attention Control in Head and Neck Cancer, Body Image Disturbance and Body Image, sponsored by Medical University of South Carolina. Recruiting at 5 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-04.
Sponsored by Medical University of South Carolina · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
In this multi-center randomized clinical trial, head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors with clinically significant body image distress (BID) (N=180) will be randomized to BRIGHT (a brief video tele-cognitive behavioral therapy intervention) or Attention Control (AC, a manualized tele-supportive care intervention that controls for professional attention, dose, delivery method, and common factors). HNC survivors will complete IMAGE-HN (a validated patient-reported outcome measure [PROM] of HNC-related body image distress [BID]; primary endpoint), measures of psychological and social well-being and quality of life (QOL), and measures of theory-derived mechanisms of change underlying BRIGHT (mediators).
We will perform a multi-site randomized clinical trial (RCT) comparing BRIGHT with AC to test our hypotheses that BRIGHT reduces BID and improves psychological and social well-being and QOL at 2, 3, 6, and 9-months post-randomization by enhancing body image coping skills and decreasing unhelpful automatic thoughts. HNC survivors with clinically significant BID (N=180) from multiple sites in the United States will be randomized 1:1 to BRIGHT or AC. We will conduct semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (n=10/site) and in-depth site visits to assess barriers and facilitators of the adoption of BRIGHT and develop an implementation toolkit to enhance the future adoption of BRIGHT into routine clinical care.
2,344 studies on the registry are indexed under Head and Neck Neoplasms; 551 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 180 is above the median of 47 across 1,751 interventional studies indexed under Head and Neck Neoplasms.
Browse Head and Neck Neoplasms studies →Medical University of South Carolina is the lead sponsor of 852 studies on the registry; 165 are open to participants now.
Of its 128 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 101 (79%) have results posted.
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Completion of oncologic treatment within 12 months of study enrollment (but no sooner than 6 weeks post-treatment completion)
Cancer-free at the time of accrual
-patients with known indolent malignancies (e.g., non-melanoma skin cancer, low risk thyroid cancer, untreated prostate cancer, etc) would not exclude a patient from the study
Exclusion Criteria:
BRIGHT is a manualized theory-based video tele-cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention delivered one-on-one by a licensed clinical psychologist.
Behavioral: BRIGHT
The attention control arm is a manualized video tele-supportive care intervention that addresses non-body image aspects of HNC survivorship.
Behavioral: Attention Control
BRIGHT is a manualized theory-based tele-CBT intervention consisting of 6 weekly 60-minute sessions. BRIGHT is delivered one-on-one by a licensed clinical psychologist at each site via standard video tele-CBT platform. BRIGHT session topics include (1) psychoeducation about the cognitive model of body image, (2) self-monitoring about thoughts, feelings, and body image behaviors, (3) cognitive restructuring to identify and challenge unhelpful automatic HNC body image thoughts, (4) positive body image coping strategies, (5) social support and identifying personal value, and (6) thinking ahead and planning for setbacks.
AC is a manualized video-tele-supportive care intervention that addresses non-body image aspects of HNC survivorship. Identical to BRIGHT, AC consists of 6 weekly 60-minute sessions delivered by a trained empathic interventionist via standard video-telemedicine platform. AC session topics include (1) Introduction to HNC survivorship, (2) Post-Treatment Side Effects (3) Psychosocial Aspects of HNC, (4) Health Promotion and Nutritional Challenges, (5) Financial Distress and Return to Work, and (6) Cancer Recurrence. AC controls for professional attention (i.e., ensuring that findings are not driven by simply interacting with an empathic interventionist), common factors, dose, and delivery method while not providing the active, behavior change mechanism in BRIGHT.
IMAGE-HN
The IMAGE-HN is a 24-item, validated patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) of HNC-related BID. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 'Never' (0) to 'Always' (4). The total global score is calculated by summing item responses across 21 items (all items except 3, 4, and 19). Total IMAGE-HN scores on the global domain (21 questions) range from 0-84; higher scores indicate worse HNC-related BID. An IMAGE-HN score of \> 22 indicates clinically-significant HNC-related BID and a change in IMAGE-HN score of \> 9 points is clinically meaningful.
Time frame: 9 months
Shame and Stigma Scale-Head and Neck
The Shame and Stigma Scale is a 20-item, validated, unidimensional PROM that measures four domains (shame with appearance, stigma, regret, and social/speech concerns) in patients with HNC over the prior 7 days. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 'Never' (0) to 'All the time' (4). The total score is calculated by summing the individual responses (except for 4 questions which are reverse scored). Shame and Stigma Scale scores range from 0-80; higher scores reflect worse HNC-related shame and stigma.
Time frame: 9 months
PROMIS SF v1.0- Depression 8a
The PROMIS SF v1.0-Depression 8a is an 8-item validated measure developed by the NIH to assess patient-reported negative mood, views of self, and decreased positive affect and engagement. Responses rate the strength of agreement with statements about depressive symptoms using a scale that ranges from 1-5. The total raw score is calculated by summing the individual responses. The PROMIS SF v1.0-Depression 8a raw score ranges from 8-40; a higher score reflects more severe depressive symptoms. The PROMIS SF v1.0-Depression 8a total raw score is translated into a T-score for each participant according to the PROMIS Scoring manual. The T-score provides a standardized score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.
Time frame: 9 months
PROMIS SF v1.0-Anxiety 8a.
The PROMIS SF v1.0-Anxiety 8a is an 8-item, validated, developed by the NIH to assess patient-reported fear, worry, and hyperarousal. Responses rate the strength of agreement with statements about anxiety symptoms using a scale that ranges from 1-5. The total raw score is calculated by summing the individual responses. The PROMIS SF v1.0-Anxiety 8a raw score ranges from 8-40; a higher score reflects more severe anxiety symptoms. The PROMIS SF v1.0-Anxiety 8a total raw score is translated into a T-score for each participant according to the PROMIS Scoring manual. The T-score provides a standardized score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.
Time frame: 9 months
Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation
The Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation is a 21-item, validated, unidimensional rating scale that measures the current intensity of patients' specific attitudes, behaviors, and plans to commit suicide on the day of the interview. Each item consists of three options graded according to suicidal intensity on a 3-point scale ranging from 0 to 2. The ratings for the first 19 items are summed to yield a total score, ranging from 0 to 38. Higher scores represent more severe suicidal ideation.
Time frame: 9 months
PROMIS Short Form (SF) v2.0-Ability to Participate in Social Activities 8a
PROMIS SF v2.0-Ability to Participate in Social Activities 8a is an 8-item, validated, unidimensional measure of patient-reported perceptions of participation in social activities. Items are scored using a 5-point Likert scale from 'Never' (1) to 'Always' (5). The total raw score is calculated by summing the individual responses. The total raw score ranges from 8-40; a higher score reflects more severe inability to participate in social activities. The total raw score is translated into a T-score for each participant according to the PROMIS Scoring manual. The T-score provides a standardized score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.
Time frame: 9 months
EORTC QLQ-Head Neck 35 Trouble with Social Eating Subscale
The EORTC QLQ-Head Neck 35 Trouble with Social Eating Subscale is a 4-item, validated measure of trouble with social eating for patients with HNC. The subscale is composed of QLQ-H\&N35 items 19-22. Items are scored using a 4-point Likert scale from 'not at all' (0) to 'very much' (3). The total score is calculated by summing the individual responses. Total subscale scores range from 0-12; higher scores reflect more trouble with social eating.
Time frame: 9 months
EORTC QLQ-HN35 Trouble with Social Contact Subscale
The EORTC QLQ-HN35 Trouble with Social Contact Subscale is a 5-item, validated measure of trouble with social contact for patients with HNC. The subscale is composed of QLQ-H\&N35 items 18, 25-28. Items are scored using a 4-point Likert scale from 'not at all' (0) to 'very much' (3). The total score is calculated by summing the individual responses. Total subscale scores range from 0-15; higher scores reflect more trouble with social contact.
Time frame: 9 months
Body Image Coping Strategies Inventory (BICSI)
The BICSI is a 29-item, validated measure of the cognitive and behavioral responses to manage threats to body image. BICSI contains three sub-domains; (1) appearance fixing (altering appearance by covering, camouflaging, or correcting the perceived defect), (2) avoidance (an attempt to escape or avert stressful body-image situations), and (3) positive rational acceptance (acceptance of the challenging event and positive self-care or rational self-talk about one's appearance). Items are scored on a 4-point Likert scale from 'Definitely not like me' (0) to 'Definitely like me' (3). The score for each subscale is calculated by summing the values for the individual questions and thus ranges as follows: Appearance fixing (0-30), Avoidance (0-24), and Positive rational acceptance (0-33). For each subscale, higher scores indicate greater reliance on that type of body image coping strategy.
Time frame: 9 months
Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire
The Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire is a 15-item, validated, patient-reported measure of negative automatic thoughts. Items are scored using a 5-point Likert scale (1-5). The total score is calculated by summing the individual responses. Total scores range from 15-75; higher scores reflect more negative automatic thoughts.
Time frame: 9 months
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
Plan to share: Yes — Research materials will include baseline data and study outcomes from trial participants. Data will be raw or minimally processed. Data will be available following final database lock, reporting to clinicaltrials.gov, and presentation and publication of study findings describing key primary and secondary objectives. De-identified data available will be available to users under a data-sharing agreement that provides for: (1) a commitment to using the data only for research purposes and not to identify any individual participant; (2) a commitment to securing the data using appropriate technology; and (3) a commitment to destroying or returning the data after analyses are completed. All data sharing will comply with laws, regulations, and policies privacy governing data derived from human subjects.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Sap, Icf
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Medical University of South Carolina