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Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System NeoplasmNCT07545291

A Spiritual Health Intervention (PATH) for Improving Spiritual, Religious and Emotional Distress in Cancer Patients

A study testing Spiritual Therapy, Survey Administration and Interview in people with Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm and Malignant Solid Neoplasm, run by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

Not yet recruiting

Opening soon. The study is approved but enrolment has not started yet. Sites may already take enquiries.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

This clinical trial tests the feasibility and effectiveness of a spiritual health intervention (Personal Archetypes Toward Healing Trial [PATH]) for improving spiritual, religious and existential distress in patients with cancer. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Spiritual Therapy, Survey Administration and Interview
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
20 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Dec 2026to 31 Mar 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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

Who may be able to join

  • Age 18 years of age or older
  • English speaking
  • Able to provide informed consent
  • Current diagnosis of cancer at any stage, engaged in active treatment or surveillance at Fred Hutch Cancer Center
  • Scores of "Somewhat" or above on at least 1 item the Religious and Spiritual Struggles scale (RSS-5) (e.g., Somewhat = 3 on a 1-to-5 Likert scale)

Who cannot join

  • Non-oncology Fred Hutch patients

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

RaeAnne Wiseman contact

206-606-8215

rwiseman@fredhutch.org

United States1 site
  • Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium

    Seattle, Washington, 98109

    RaeAnne Wiseman, 206-606-8215, rwiseman@fredhutch.org

    RaeAnne Wiseman

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Personal Archetypes Toward Healing (PATH) Trial

This clinical trial tests the feasibility and effectiveness of a spiritual health intervention (Personal Archetypes Toward Healing Trial [PATH]) for improving spiritual, religious and existential distress in patients with cancer. Many patients with cancer find their diagnosis to elicit challenges to their sense of connection, meaning, and purpose. This distress can significantly impact their quality of life. However, spiritual care interventions are often overlooked. PATH builds on multiple theories and therapeutic practices such as role-playing, archetype psychology, cognitive theory, emotion regulation therapy, and dignity therapy. PATH sessions cover topics such as individuation, intrapersonal meaning and worth, intrapersonal distress and faith, interpersonal distress and faith, and transpersonal distress and faith. The PATH intervention may help cancer patients shift their perspectives and access new insights for working through their spiritual, religious and existential distress.

Read the detailed description

OUTLINE:

Patients attend 1 individual PATH session with the interventionist on day 1 and then attend group PATH workshop sessions weekly for 5 sessions (days 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35).

After completion of study intervention, patients are followed up on days 42 and 84.

Being tested
Spiritual Therapy, Survey Administration, Interview

What participants receive

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

  • Spiritual TherapyProcedure or surgery

    Attend PATH workshops

  • Survey AdministrationOther

    Ancillary studies

  • InterviewOther

    Ancillary studies

Study groups in NCT07545291
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Supportive care (PATH)ExperimentalPatients attend 1 individual PATH session with the interventionist on day 1 and then attend group PATH workshop sessions weekly for 5 sessions (days 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35).
Receives: Procedure: Spiritual Therapy; Other: Survey Administration; Other: Interview

What is being measured

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

  1. Accrual rates (feasibility) (Aim 1)

    Feasibility will be examined by conducting frequency and descriptive statistics for enrollment rates. The benchmark for feasibility is ≥ 50% of screened eligible patients enroll in the study. To test this, will perform a one-sample proportion test to examine if the proportion of participants meeting the benchmark for feasibility is significantly higher than 0.50. Feasibility process outcomes will be analyzed to determine whether the intervention is feasible for future dissemination and implementation efforts and recruitment of a full-scale randomized controlled trial.

    Measured: At time of enrollment

  2. Rates of intervention completion (feasibility) (Aim 1)

    Intervention completion metrics will include all 6 intervention sessions as well as both follow-up timepoints (days 42 and 84). Patients will be required to attend at least 70% of all sessions (5 of 6). Feasibility will be examined by conducting frequency and descriptive statistics for intervention completion. The benchmark for feasibility is ≥ 70% of enrolled patients completing the intervention. To test this, will perform a one-sample proportion test to examine if the proportion of participants meeting the benchmark for feasibility is significantly higher than 0.70. Feasibility process outcomes will be analyzed to determine whether the intervention is feasible for future dissemination and implementation efforts and recruitment of a full-scale randomized controlled trial.

    Measured: Up to day 84

  3. Acceptability (Aim 1)

    Acceptability will be assessed by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA) questionnaire and three additional quality improvement questions. To analyze intervention acceptability, scores on the TFA questionnaire will be calculated using the total mean score of seven TFA items. In this study, will use a cutoff of >= 70% of patients agreeing (or rating as confident, liking, acceptable or 4 out of 5 or higher on the TFA) as being acceptable for use.

    Measured: Up to day 42

  4. Satisfaction (Aim 1)

    Satisfaction will be assessed by using three items assessing overall satisfaction. Satisfaction thresholds will require an average or mean of 7 out of 10 on each of the three items.

    Measured: Up to day 42

  5. Change in spiritual, religious, and existential (SRE) distress as measured by the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale-5 (RSS-5) (Aim 2)

    Spiritual, religious, and existential (SRE) distress will be measured using the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale-5 (RSS-5), a valid and reliable 5-item Likert-type self-report measure of spiritual struggle. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 ("not at all") to 5 ("a great deal"). Item scores are summed or averaged to create an overall SRE distress score. Total mean score ranges from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater levels of SRE distress. Change in SRE distress will be assessed at baseline and at 1- and 6-week follow-up.

    Measured: At baseline and 1- and 6-week follow-up (days 42 and 84)

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Change in self-transcendence as measured by the Self-Transcendence Scale (STS) (Aim 2)

    Self-transcendence will be measured using the Self-Transcendence Scale (STS), a validated 15-item Likert-type self-report measure assessing individuals' sense of connection to something greater in 4 realms (intrapersonal, interpersonal, temporal and transpersonal). Each item is rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 1 ("not at all") to 4 ("very much"), and item scores are summed or averaged to generate an overall self-transcendence score. Total mean score ranges from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating greater levels of self-transcendence. Change in self-transcendence will be assessed at baseline and at 1- and 6-week follow-up.

    Measured: At baseline and 1- and 6-week follow-up (days 42 and 84)

  2. Change in psychological distress as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) (Aim 2)

    Psychological distress will be measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8), a well-validated 8-item Likert-type self-report measure of depressive symptoms commonly used in cancer populations. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 ("not at all") to 3 ("nearly every day"), and all items are summed to produce a total score. Total scores can range from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating greater levels of psychological distress. Change in distress will be assessed at baseline and at 1- and 6-week follow-up.

    Measured: At baseline and 1- and 6-week follow-up (days 42 and 84)

  3. Change in anxiety as measured by Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) (Aim 2)

    Anxiety will be measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), a validated 7-item Likert-type self-report measure of anxiety severity. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 ("not at all") to 3 ("nearly every day"), and item scores are summed to create a total anxiety score. Total scores can range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater levels of anxiety. Change in anxiety will be assessed at baseline and at 1- and 6-week follow-up.

    Measured: At baseline and 1- and 6-week follow-up (days 42 and 84)

Timeline

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

  1. First posted22 Apr 2026
  2. Study start1 Dec 2026 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion31 Mar 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Mar 2027 (estimated)

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
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
20 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07545291
Sponsor's protocol ID
RG1126171
Other IDs
NCI-2026-02254, 21101
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
16 Apr 2026
Last updated
17 Sep 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Spiritual Therapy, Survey Administration and Interview in people with Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm and Malignant Solid Neoplasm, run by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center 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?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Sep 2026. 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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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

Contact RaeAnne Wiseman (206-606-8215, rwiseman@fredhutch.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Accrual rates (feasibility) (Aim 1) (time frame: At time of enrollment). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. 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 17 Sep 2026.

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