Study protocol: a randomized control trial of African American families fighting parental cancer together

African American adults experience a disproportionate burden and increased mortality for most solid tumor cancers and their adolescent children are negatively impacted by the illness experience. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy of a culturally sensitive family-based intervention program developed for African American families coping with solid tumor parental cancer using an intention-to-treat approach. Primary outcome is adolescent depressive symptoms at end of treatment.

A sample of 172 African American families will be enrolled from two diverse oncology centers (Helen Graham Cancer Center in Newark, DE, and Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA). Eligible families will be randomized either to a 5-session intervention Families Fighting Cancer Together (FFCT) or a 5-session parent-only psycho-educational (PED) program. Assessments will occur at weeks 0 (baseline), 8 (end-of-treatment), 24, and 52.

Treatments to help African American adolescents cope with the impact of parental cancer are scarce and urgently needed. If successful, this proposed research will change the nature of intervention support options available to African Americans, who are overrepresented and underserved by existing services or programs.

This project is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Protocol #: NCT03567330).