Can a phone app help pancreatic cancer patients eat better during treatment?
NCT ID NCT07826780
First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing whether a digital nutrition app called STRONG, paired with remote dietitian counseling, is practical and helpful for adults with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who are starting chemotherapy or radiation. About 80 participants join the study and are assigned by chance to receive either the app plus counseling or printed nutrition education materials. The study tracks how many people enroll, stick with the program, and complete assessments, along with changes in nutritional status and quality of life. Results will guide the design of a larger trial.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a digital nutrition support app called STRONG plus remote dietitian counseling
- What this could lead to
- If the app proves workable and helpful, it could shape a larger trial testing whether tailored, app-based nutrition support improves outcomes for people with pancreatic cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study focused on feasibility, not proof that the app improves health. Nutrition support may not change outcomes, and some participants may struggle to use the app or complete counseling visits.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Aug 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
In order to participate in this study a subject must meet all of the eligibility criteria outlined below. Patients Participants Inclusion Criteria: * Written informed consent obtained to participate in the study and HIPAA authorization for release of personal health information. * Subjects is willing and able to comply with study procedures based on the judgement of the investigator or protocol designee. * Age ≥ 18 years at the time of consent. * Diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma * Has initiated or scheduled to initiate systemic therapy and/or radiation therapy within 30 days of study enrollment * Able to speak and read English Exclusion Criteria: * Enrolled in hospice care or has a plan for hospice enrollment at the time of study enrollment * Not community dwelling at the time of study enrollment, including individuals who are incarcerated, residing in a skilled nursing facility, long-term care facility, or other institutional setting where meals, nutrition management, or access to study procedures are primarily controlled by the institution * Unable to consume food or beverages orally at the time of consent, including individuals who are fully dependent on total parenteral nutrition or who have complete malignant bowel obstruction or severe gastric outlet obstruction that prevents meaningful oral intake or makes oral nutrition unsafe. * Any condition or circumstance that, in the judgment of the investigator or designee, such as a patient's oncologist, would make study participation inappropriate or would interfere with the participant's ability to complete study procedures, such as advanced dementia or other severe cognitive impairment. Caregiver Participants Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥18 years at the time of consent. * Identified by an enrolled patient participant as their primary caregiver or support person. * Able to speak and read English * Able to provide informed consent. * Willing and able to complete caregiver study procedures, including baseline and follow-up questionnaires and, if selected and interested, an optional exit interview. Exclusion Criteria: • Any condition or circumstance that, in the judgment of the investigator or designee, would make participation inappropriate or would interfere with completion of study procedures, such as advanced dementia or other severe cognitive impairment.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Pancreas cancer, metastatic are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Radiation Oncology
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a Dietitian's plan help older pancreatic cancer patients feel better?
- Can a vaccine stop GI cancers from returning?
- Triple therapy aims to stall pancreatic cancer
- Can removing more tissue around pancreatic tumors stop cancer from coming back?
- Can a new drug shrink advanced solid tumors?
- Can a Triple-Drug combo outsmart pancreatic cancer?