A New Psychotherapy Intervention for Older Cancer Patients

NCT ID: NCT04452825

Last Updated: 2025-09-22

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

459 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-02-01

Study Completion Date

2026-06-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

This study is being done to see if a new psychotherapy intervention called Cancer and Aging: Reflections for Elders (CARE) can effectively treat depression and distress in older cancer patients. CARE is a 5-session intervention that takes place over the phone. This study will compare CARE with the Social Work and Supportive Counseling (SWSC) intervention, which also takes place over the phone. SWSC is a standard psychotherapeutic intervention that has been shown to be a supportive and effective form of treatment for distress for patients with cancer. The researchers will look at which intervention is more effective in treating depression and distress in participants.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Cancer

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

This study is designed to test CARE delivered by telephone to improve cancer care for the population of older adults in a larger two-arm Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT).
Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Cancer and Aging: Reflections for Elders (CARE) Intervention

Session content and timing was developed and confirmed in our qualitative work (Expert Panel) and the CARE pilot study. Five sessions (45-60 minutes each) will be delivered over an 8-week period (+4 weeks). Following these sessions, four brief booster sessions (20-30 minutes each) will be delivered at a rate of approximately one per month to extend the interventions to 6 months (+3 months).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Cancer and Aging: Reflections for Elders (CARE) Intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

For full participants (not training case participants) five sessions (45-60 minutes each) will be delivered over an 8-week period (+4 weeks). Following these sessions, four brief booster sessions (20-30 minutes each) will be delivered at a rate of approximately one per month to extend the interventions to 6 months (+3 months).

Social Work and Supportive Counseling (SWSC)

The SWSC will include a social work assessment and follow-up augmented with additional components of supportive psychotherapy that have been shown to be an effective form of treatment for patients with cancer. Five sessions (45-60 minutes each) will be delivered over an 8-week period (+4 weeks). Following these sessions, four brief booster sessions (20-30 minutes each) will be delivered at a rate of approximately one per month to extend the interventions to 6 months (+3 months).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Social Work and Supportive Counseling (SWSC) Intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The SWSC will include a social work assessment and follow-up augmented with additional components of supportive psychotherapy that have been shown to be an effective form of treatment for patients with cancer. For full participants (not training case participants) five sessions (45-60 minutes each) will be delivered over an 8-week period (+4 weeks). Following these sessions, four brief booster sessions (20-30 minutes each) will be delivered at a rate of approximately one per month to extend the interventions to 6 months (+3 months). Training case participants will follow a slightly condensed schedule.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Cancer and Aging: Reflections for Elders (CARE) Intervention

For full participants (not training case participants) five sessions (45-60 minutes each) will be delivered over an 8-week period (+4 weeks). Following these sessions, four brief booster sessions (20-30 minutes each) will be delivered at a rate of approximately one per month to extend the interventions to 6 months (+3 months).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Social Work and Supportive Counseling (SWSC) Intervention

The SWSC will include a social work assessment and follow-up augmented with additional components of supportive psychotherapy that have been shown to be an effective form of treatment for patients with cancer. For full participants (not training case participants) five sessions (45-60 minutes each) will be delivered over an 8-week period (+4 weeks). Following these sessions, four brief booster sessions (20-30 minutes each) will be delivered at a rate of approximately one per month to extend the interventions to 6 months (+3 months). Training case participants will follow a slightly condensed schedule.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* As per self-report or medical record, ≥ 70 years of age
* As per self-report or medical record, has a diagnosis of cancer
* As per self-report or medical record, receiving active treatment (e.g., radiation, chemotherapy, hormone); OR received active treatment in the past 6 months (N/A for training case participants); OR are currently on active surveillance with follow-ups at least approximately every 6 months
* Received a HADS-D score of ≥ 6 or HADS-A score of ≥ 6 or a score of ≥ 4 on the distress thermometer. (N/A for training case participants)
* Received a Karnofsky Performance Rating Scale (KPRS) score of ≥ 60 (N/A for training case participants)
* Received a Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration Scale (BOMC) score of ≤ 11 (N/A for training case participants)
* Fluent in English, as per self-reported fluency of "well" or "very well"\*

Exclusion Criteria

* As per self-report, currently taking antidepressant medication for \< 3 months
* As per self-report, currently receiving hospice care
* In the judgment of the consenting professional is unable to provide informed consent and complete study sessions and assessment
* As per self-report or as documented in the medical record, current untreated (e.g., no medication, no therapy) major psychotic disorder (schizotypal personality disorder, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder). Patients diagnosed with a major psychiatric disorder will be reviewed by the study PI to determine eligibility prior to consent.

* Language verification: Prior to enrollment, patients will be asked the following two questions by research staff to verify English fluency necessary for participation in the study:

1. How well do you speak English? (must respond "Well" or "Very well" when given the choices of Very well, Well, Not well, Not at all, Don't know, or Refused)
2. What is your preferred language for healthcare? (must respond English)
Minimum Eligible Age

70 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Christian Nelson, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, New York, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Christian Nelson, PhD

Role: CONTACT

646-888-0030

Rebecca Saracino, PhD

Role: CONTACT

646-888-0263

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Christian Nelson, PhD

Role: primary

646-888-0030

Rebecca Saracino, PhD

Role: backup

646-888-0263

Related Links

Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.

http://www.mskcc.org

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

20-191

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Easing Psychosocial Burden for Informal Caregivers
NCT03454295 COMPLETED EARLY_PHASE1
Assessment Tool for Older Patients With Cancer
NCT00477958 ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING NA