Robot buddies let kids with cancer attend class from hospital bed

NCT ID NCT07398677

Symptom relief Sponsor: Rigshospitalet, Denmark Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether telepresence robots can help children aged 5-17 with cancer attend school remotely when they can't be there in person. The robots let kids see, hear, and talk in class from their hospital or home. Researchers will track school attendance, social well-being, and academic progress over eight months in 128 children across three Danish hospitals.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: telepresence robot (AV1 or BEAM) plus school navigation support
What this could lead to: If it works, this could help children with cancer stay connected to school and peers during treatment, reducing long-term academic and social setbacks.
What could go wrong: This is a relatively small, early-stage study (128 participants) testing a device and support program, not a drug. Results may not apply to all children or settings, and the robot may not fully replace in-person attendance.

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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 128 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Feb 2026

Expected to finish

Sep 2028

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

5 to 17 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show 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.

Children and adolescents are eligible for inclusion if they meet the following criteria: they are: (1) diagnosed with cancer or cancer-like diseases withing two months of inclusion (e.g., benign brain tumors, MDS, or LCH ); (2) have undergone a stem cell transplant, or have experienced cancer relapse or disease progression within the two months of inclusion; (3) aged 5-17 years; (4) admitted to the pediatric oncology ward at Copenhagen University Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, or Aalborg University Hospital; (5) expected to experience disrupted schooling, defined as absence of more than one school day per week over an anticipated period of eight months; and (6) enrolled, or expected enrolment, in a school in Denmark during the eight month intervention period. Participants will be excluded if: (1) the children in intervention arm B obtain a telepresence robot outside of the SchoolCare intervention; (2) the child is unable to communicate in Danish; or (3) the child has physical or cognitive impairments that prevent them from operating or meaningfully engaging with the telepresence robot. Assessment of the latter criterion will be conducted jointly by hospital personnel and the school navigator to determine whether the child is likely to benefit from participation in the intervention. All reasons for exclusion will be documented and reported in accordance with CONSORT guidelines \[47\] supplemented by the CONSORT-SPI extended version of social and psychological interventions \[48\]. Parents and teachers of the participating children will also be included in the study and invited to complete questionnaires as well as take part in semi-structured interviews. Recruitment began on February 1st, 2026.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

benign neoplasm of brain cancer Langerhans cell histiocytosis myelodysplastic syndrome neoplasm

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Academic level Childhood cancer survivors School attendance Social well-being

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

3 sites. 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.

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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.

Robot buddies let kids with cancer attend class from hospital bed

What the study statuses mean