DNA risk report may nudge people to shield from sun
NCT ID NCT03509467
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether giving people personalized information about their genetic risk for melanoma could encourage them to protect themselves from the sun. Over 2,000 adults received either standard sun safety tips or tailored advice based on their DNA. Researchers then tracked sun exposure, sunscreen use, and sunburns to see if the personalized message made a difference.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- personalized DNA risk information
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this approach could help people adopt better sun protection habits and lower their risk of skin cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed behavioral study, not a treatment trial. Results rely on self-reported behaviors, which may not reflect actual sun exposure or long-term change.
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
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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
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2,054 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2015
- Finished
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Feb 2021
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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.
Inclusion Criteria: CRITERIA FOR: NON-HISPANIC WHITE POPULATION * Investigators will recruit participants from the Family Medicine and General Internal Medicine clinics of the Morsani Center at the University of South Florida. * White, non-Hispanic patients who self-report a low phenotypic risk profile for development of melanoma and are able to read and speak English fluently. * 18 years of age or older * Capable of giving informed consent * Potential participants will be screened for eligibility based on responses to questions about skin phenotypes, early detection behaviors and past history of melanoma. * After signing informed consent, a biologic sample (saliva) will be collected for the purpose of DNA extraction determination of MC1R genotypes. All participants who carry high risk MC1R genotypes and a proportion of those who carry low risk or no MC1R variants will be randomized to the control or intervention arm. CRITERIA FOR: HISPANIC POPULATION * Investigators will recruit participants living in Tampa Bay and Puerto Rico as part of the U54 Ponce Health Sciences University-Moffitt Cancer Center (PHSU-MCC) Partnership. In Tampa Bay, participants will be recruited from the Family Medicine and General Internal Medicine clinics of the Morsani Center at the University of South Florida, and from the Suncoast Community Health Centers. * Patients who self-report as Hispanics and are able to read and speak either Spanish or English fluently. * 18 years of age or older * Capable of giving informed consent * Potential participants will be screened for eligibility based on responses to early detection behaviors and past history of melanoma. * After signing informed consent, a biologic sample (saliva) will be collected for the purpose of DNA extraction determination of MC1R genotypes. All participants who carry high risk MC1R genotypes and a proportion of those who carry low risk or no MC1R variants will be randomized to the control or intervention arm. Exclusion Criteria: CRITERIA FOR: NON-HISPANIC WHITE POPULATION * Have had a skin examination within the past year. * Do not meet race/ethnicity criteria for their group * White, non-Hispanic group - participants reporting sun-sensitive phenotypes * A personal history of melanoma CRITERIA FOR: HISPANIC POPULATION * Have had a skin examination within the past year. * Do not meet ethnicity criteria for their group * White, non-Hispanic group - participants reporting sun-sensitive phenotypes * Participants with a personal history of melanoma and/or more personal history of more than on squamous cell cancer (SCC) and/or Basal Cell Cancer (BCC)
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States
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Ponce School of Medicine
Ponce, 00716, Puerto Rico
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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