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Stage IV Colorectal CancerNCT01074385

Dignity Therapy in mCRC to Increase Peaceful Awareness & Impact Goals of Care Decision-Making

A study testing Dignity Therapy in people with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to try and improve the way that patients with colon cancer understand and cope with their illness and give them tools for talking with their loved ones and family about their illness. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Stage IV Colorectal Cancer
What is being tested?
Dignity Therapy
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
24 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Apr 2010to Oct 2012
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult
  • Participants must be currently receiving treatment for stage IV colorectal cancer.
  • Participants must have experience disease progression after their first course of treatment and are being considered for second course of treatment or have already started their second course of treatment.
  • Participants must be 18 years old or older.
  • All participants must have given signed, informed consent prior to registration on study.
  • Participants must speak English.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Northwestern University, Northwestern Memorial Faculty Foundation

    Chicago, Illinois, 60611

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Use of Dignity Therapy in Stage IV Colorectal Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy to Increase Peaceful Awareness and Impact Goals of Care Decision-Making

The purpose of this study is to try and improve the way that patients with colon cancer understand and cope with their illness and give them tools for talking with their loved ones and family about their illness.

Read the detailed description

Dignity Therapy is a well tolerated structured interview that helps patients reflect on who they are, what is most important to them and what lessons they have learned through life. For patients not receiving chemotherapy, Dignity Therapy gave patients more hope, more meaning in their life, and helped their families. Researchers at Northwestern University would like to see if it has the same effect in patients getting chemotherapy. We will also see if the Dignity Therapy changes patient's understanding of their disease and their medical preferences.

All study procedures will take place when participants come for a scheduled doctor's visit or to receive chemotherapy. At the first visit participants will answer a questionnaire taking approximately 15-30 minutes. Participants will then have a Dignity Therapy Session approximately 1-2 weeks later. A second Dignity Therapy Session will be scheduled again in another 1-2 weeks. Each study Dignity Therapy Session will take approximately an hour. One to two weeks later a repeat questionnaire will be filled out. Finally, a third and final questionnaire will be complete 4 weeks later.

Being tested
Dignity Therapy
Keywords
Stage IV Colorectal Cancer
Medical subject headings
Colorectal Neoplasms

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Dignity TherapyBehavioural

    Dignity therapy is a psychotherapeutic intervention developed to address psychosocial and existential distress among terminally ill patients. Basically, it invites patients to discuss topics that matter most or how they want to be remembered. This interview is recorded and then edited and returned to the patient to be used for further reflection or for sharing with loved ones.

Study groups in NCT01074385
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Immediate Dignity TherapyOtherAt registration, subjects will be mailed a questionnaire. The subject will then receive two separate dignity therapy sessions, about a week apart. Subjects will then be asked to complete a questionnaire 1-2 weeks after completing therapy sessions and one month after completing therapy sessions.
Receives: Behavioral: Dignity Therapy
Wait List Dignity TherapyOtherAt registration, subjects will be mailed a questionnaire. The subject will then receive two separate dignity therapy sessions; the first session will take place about 6 weeks after registration, with the second session occurring 1-3 weeks after the first. Subjects will then be asked to complete a questionnaire about one month after completing therapy sessions.
Receives: Behavioral: Dignity Therapy

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Impact of Dignity Therapy

    Measure the impact of dignity therapy on terminal illness acknowledgment and presence of peaceful awareness. Subjects will complete self-evaluation questionnaires at the point of registration and upon completing dignity therapy sessions. The impact will be determined by changes in the patient's baseline self-reported parameters.

    Measured: at baseline, 1-2 weeks after completion of dignity therapy sessions, 1 month after completion of sessions

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Measure the impact of dignity therapy on life sustaining therapy and end-of-life goals of care.

    Subjects will complete self-evaluation questionnaires at the point of registration and upon completing dignity therapy sessions. The impact will be determined by changes in the patient's baseline self-reported parameters.

    Measured: at baseline, 1-2 weeks after completion of dignity therapy sessions, 1 month after completion of dignity therapy sessions

  2. Establish a correlation between terminal illness acknowledgement and presence of peaceful awareness with preferences for life sustaining therapy and end-of-life goals of care.

    Establish a correlation between terminal illness acknowledgement and presence of peaceful awareness with preferences for life sustaining therapy and end-of-life goals of care.

    Measured: At Study Completion

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted24 Feb 2010 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 2010
  3. Primary completionMay 2012
  4. Study completionOct 2012

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
24 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01074385
Sponsor's protocol ID
NU 09CC3
Other IDs
STU00022908, NCI-2010-01851
Status last verified
Sep 2013
First submitted
22 Feb 2010
Last updated
16 Sep 2013
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Dignity Therapy in people with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Sep 2013. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Impact of Dignity Therapy (time frame: at baseline, 1-2 weeks after completion of dignity therapy sessions, 1 month after completion of sessions). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Sep 2013.

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