An interventional study of SPARKLE-2 in Neoplasms and Palliative Care, sponsored by National Cancer Centre, Singapore. Not yet recruiting at 2 sites in Singapore. Open to participants aged 21 Years to 120 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-02.
Sponsored by National Cancer Centre, Singapore · Not applicable, Interventional, and Health services research
Advanced cancer patients often experience significant physical and emotional symptoms, which can lead to frequent hospital visits and reduced quality of life. Although palliative care can help manage these symptoms and improve well-being, it is often introduced too late.
A proactive symptom monitoring model, SPARKLE-2 aims to identify patients who need palliative care earlier by regularly checking their symptoms using a simple questionnaire. Patients with concerned symptoms will receive timely support from the palliative care team, with the goal of improving their quality of life, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions, and helping more patients receive care in the community rather than in hospital. In the earlier SPARKLE-1 study, it showed the improvement of patients' physical wellbeing. SPARKLE-2 seeks to test the effectiveness among advanced cancer patients with unplanned hospital visits while simultaneously collecting data on real-world implementation.
To evaluate the effectiveness of SPARKLE-2, we will conduct randomized controlled trial comparing clinical outcomes at 3 months between patients receiving usual care and intervention. For longer-term impact of palliative care, we will also measure patient outcomes at 6, 9, and 12 months. To evaluate ways to improve implementation, the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) will be used to systematically identify processes that influence implementation outcomes.
The specific aims and hypotheses of this mixed methods study are:
10,818 studies on the registry are indexed under Neoplasms; 2,324 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 300 is above the median of 60 across 7,703 interventional studies indexed under Neoplasms.
Browse Neoplasms studies →National Cancer Centre, Singapore is the lead sponsor of 117 studies on the registry; 30 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Inclusion Criteria:
Inclusion criteria for patients:
Able to provide
Additional inclusion criteria for patient participants of semi-structured interviews are:
Inclusion criteria for caregivers:
Inclusion criteria for healthcare providers:
Exclusion Criteria:
Exclusion criteria for patients:
Exclusion criteria for caregivers:
1. Unable to complete interviews
Exclusion criteria for healthcare providers:
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.
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
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.
Metastases
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will receive SPARKLE-2 immediately at bi-weekly interval.
Behavioral: SPARKLE-2
Participants will not receive any study intervention (SPARKLE-2) and will continue to receive their usual care.
Patients will receive a Short Message Service (SMS) text on their phone every 2 weeks, inviting them to complete a self-reported online six-item Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) questionnaire over a period of 12 months. If a patient records higher scores on any IPOS symptom domains, a programme coordinator will then make a phone call to the patient for further assessment of symptoms and concerns identified. If indicated, the programme coordinator would then initiate management of the symptoms and concerns according to structured clinical management protocols.
Quality of life score measured using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Palliative (FACIT-Pal)
FACIT-Pal is a 46-item measure with a quality-of-life scale (4 domains: physical, emotional, social, and functional well-being) and a palliative care subscale. It has demonstrated internal consistency, reliability and validity for persons with advanced cancer. Quality of life is scored on a scale of 0 to 184, with higher scores indicating better outcomes.
Time frame: 12 weeks.
Quality of life score measured using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Palliative (FACIT-Pal)
The proposed FACIT-Pal assessment schedule is to evaluate longitudinal changes in quality of life over time.
Time frame: Every 12 weeks from baseline, till the point of patient death, or till week 48, whichever is earlier.
Palliative care concerns measured using the Integrated Palliative Care Outcomes Scale (IPOS)
IPOS is a brief measure of palliative care problems, covering physical and psychological symptoms, social and spiritual issues, communication, information needs, and practical concerns. Each item is rated on a Likert scale of 0 to 4. Higher scores indicate that symptoms and concerns affect the person more. IPOS has been translated to Chinese and validated in Singapore.
Time frame: Every 2 weeks from baseline, till the point of patient death, or till week 48, whichever is earlier.
Health states measured using the EuroQOL Group 5-Dimension Health-related Quality of Life Measurement (EQ-5D-5L)
EQ-5D-5L contains a 5-item descriptive system measuring 5 dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/ discomfort, anxiety/ depression; a visual analogue scale measuring overall health status. The tool has been validated in Singapore.
Time frame: Baseline, 12 weeks, 18 weeks, 27 weeks, and 48 weeks.
Acute healthcare utilization.
Frequency of Emergency Department (ED) visits.
Time frame: Baseline until death or end of the study, up to 48 weeks.
Inpatient healthcare utilization and the intervention's impact on inpatient healthcare utilization.
Number of hospital admissions.
Time frame: Baseline until death or end of the study, up to 48 weeks.
Healthcare expenditure associated with patient care and the economic impact on intervention.
Total hospital charges.
Time frame: Baseline until death or end of the study, up to 48 weeks.
Appropriateness and feasibility
To explore perspectives on factors, including facilitators and barriers among patients, caregivers and healthcare workers. Semi-structured interviews conducted using an interview guide developed based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).
Time frame: Up to 48 weeks.
Implementation cost
Process maps and project records detailing key intervention activities to elucidate cost of involved personnel and resources through a time-tracking system and an activity-based costing approach.
Time frame: Up to 48 weeks.
Plan to share: No
Start is estimated for Nov 2026; primary completion for Mar 2029, 28 months later.
Of 1,981 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Neoplasms, half reached primary completion within 29 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 13 and three quarters within 52. This study's planned 28 months is close to that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 2,056 studies reached it within 29 months; a quarter within 13 and three quarters within 52.
Neoplasms covers many different conditions, not one, so the studies compared here vary widely. Read these figures as a rough guide.
Start moved once since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026: Aug 2026 → Nov 2026, on Oct 2, 2026.
Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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