Existential Distress in Advanced Cancer: Comparing a Short-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (ORPHYS) to Treatment as Usual (TAU)
NCT ID: NCT07312760
Last Updated: 2025-12-31
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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RECRUITING
NA
160 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2025-10-24
2027-12-31
Brief Summary
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The aim of the study is to test the effectiveness of the newly developed individual psychotherapy ORPHYS (ShORt-term psychodynamic psychotherapy in serious PHYSical illness) in reducing existential distress. To this end, a randomly selected half of the participants who receive ORPHYS treatment will be compared with a second group who receive the standard routine psycho-oncological treatment TAU (Treatment As Usual). The level of distress caused by demoralization will be used for the comparison. A total of 160 patients with advanced cancer will be included in the study.
Due to improved treatment options, life expectancy for advanced cancer has increased significantly. This means that patients and their families must deal with the existential tension between uncertainty and a focus on life. The treatment is intended to contribute to providing the best possible support for patients who suffer from uncertainty and fears at the end of life.
Detailed Description
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Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of ORPHYS (ShORt-term psychodynamic psychotherapy in serious PHYSical illness) in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. The intervention group receives 15-31 sessions of ORPHYS, a manualized individual psychotherapy that flexibly integrates uncovering and holding treatment elements. The control group receives usual psycho-oncological care (TAU). The primary outcome is demoralization as assessed by the Demoralization Scale-II. Secondary outcomes include diagnosis of affective, anxiety and stress-related disorders, death anxiety, dignity-related distress, and quality of life.
Methods: The investigators will conduct a two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial with an active control group. Patients will be assessed pre-intervention and after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The target sample size is 160 participants before randomization. The investigators will recruit patients with stage III/IV solid tumors or advanced hematological cancer and clinically significant existential distress from psycho-oncology clinics and referring oncologists at Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Würzburg Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Outcome assessments will be conducted via diagnostic interviews and self-report questionnaires. Linear mixed models will examine outcome differences between trial arms. A confirmatory test of the group contrast at 6 months-follow-up will be conducted.
Discussion: Due to an aging population and prolonged survival, there is a growing demand to help patients deal with existential challenges. The study will contribute to knowledge about how clinicians can best help patients with advanced cancer who substantially struggle with uncertainty at the end of life.
Conditions
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Keywords
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
TREATMENT
DOUBLE
Study Groups
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ORPHYS (ShORt term psychodynamic psychotherapy adapted to serious PHYSical illness)
ORPHYS (ShORt-term psychodynamic psychotherapy in serious PHYSical illness)
ORPHYS is a manualized individual psychotherapy that was specifically designed for patients with serious physical illness (Philipp et al., 2024). Patients receive 15-31 weekly therapy sessions of 50 minutes length. ORPHYS takes into account the individual meaning of illness in the context of internalized motives and fears. ORPHYS aims to help patients gain consciousness of related existential conflict. The treatment supports reflection on current relational experiences in the context of realistic, illness-related fears. Identifying patients' dysfunctional relationship patterns, which represent patients' unconscious fantasies about the responsiveness and availability of others and making them accessible to the patient during therapy is expected to increase mentalization and, thus, emotional flexibility to balance extreme affective states. Emotional containment and supportive interventions are the basis for ORPHYS.
TAU (Treatment As Usual: standard psycho-oncological care)
TAU (Treatment As Usual: Standard psycho-oncological care)
Patients receive routine psycho-oncological care as provided by the study centers. TAU includes individual sessions provided by physicians or master-level psychologists with experience in psycho-oncological care. There is no restriction on the minimum or maximum number of sessions.
Interventions
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ORPHYS (ShORt-term psychodynamic psychotherapy in serious PHYSical illness)
ORPHYS is a manualized individual psychotherapy that was specifically designed for patients with serious physical illness (Philipp et al., 2024). Patients receive 15-31 weekly therapy sessions of 50 minutes length. ORPHYS takes into account the individual meaning of illness in the context of internalized motives and fears. ORPHYS aims to help patients gain consciousness of related existential conflict. The treatment supports reflection on current relational experiences in the context of realistic, illness-related fears. Identifying patients' dysfunctional relationship patterns, which represent patients' unconscious fantasies about the responsiveness and availability of others and making them accessible to the patient during therapy is expected to increase mentalization and, thus, emotional flexibility to balance extreme affective states. Emotional containment and supportive interventions are the basis for ORPHYS.
TAU (Treatment As Usual: Standard psycho-oncological care)
Patients receive routine psycho-oncological care as provided by the study centers. TAU includes individual sessions provided by physicians or master-level psychologists with experience in psycho-oncological care. There is no restriction on the minimum or maximum number of sessions.
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Physical condition at beginning of treatment sufficient for outpatient treatment
* Existential distress due to at least one of the following concerns: loss of hope, demoralization, fear of the future, loneliness, death anxiety, sense of isolation, death wishes
* Severity of distress: significant subjective distress and impairment in functioning
Exclusion Criteria
* diagnosis of a substance dependence, substance abuse, or psychotic disorder (exception: tobacco-related disorders)
* Inability to adhere to a psychotherapeutic setting
* Other current psychotherapeutic or psycho-oncological treatment according to TAU definition
* Insufficient German to give informed consent and complete self-report questionnaires
18 Years
ALL
No
Sponsors
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Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
OTHER
University Düsseldorf
OTHER
Wuerzburg University Hospital
OTHER
University of Kassel
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Locations
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Clinical Institute for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf, , Germany
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Hamburg, , Germany
Psychosomatics, Psychotherapy and Psychooncology, Medicine II, University of Würzburg
Würzburg, , Germany
Countries
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Central Contacts
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Facility Contacts
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André Karger, Dr.
Role: primary
Sigrun Vehling, PD Dr.
Role: primary
Rebecca Philipp, PhD
Role: backup
Imad Maatouk, Prof. Dr.
Role: primary
References
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Philipp R, Walbaum C, Lindner R, Karger A, Maatouk I, Dinger U, Vehling S. [ORPHYS - Treatment Manual for a Short-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in Patients with Serious Physical Illness]. Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 2024 Aug;74(8):345-351. doi: 10.1055/a-2322-8596. Epub 2024 Jun 17. German.
Perkonigg A, Strehle J, Beesdo-Baum K, Lorenz L, Hoyer J, Venz J, Maercker A. Reliability and Validity of a German Standardized Diagnostic Interview Module for ICD-11 Adjustment Disorder. J Trauma Stress. 2021 Apr;34(2):275-286. doi: 10.1002/jts.22597. Epub 2020 Nov 5.
Huber J, Nikendei C, Ehrenthal JC, Schauenburg H, Mander J, Dinger U. Therapeutic Agency Inventory: Development and psychometric validation of a patient self-report. Psychother Res. 2019 Oct;29(7):919-934. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2018.1447707. Epub 2018 Mar 20.
Brahler E, Horowitz LM, Kordy H, Schumacher J, Strauss B. [Validation of the Inventory for Interpersonal Problems (IIP). Results of a representative study in East and West Germany]. Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 1999 Nov;49(11):422-31. German.
Galushko M, Strupp J, Walisko-Waniek J, Hahn M, Loffert S, Ernstmann N, Pfaff H, Radbruch L, Nauck F, Ostgathe C, Voltz R. Validation of the German version of the Schedule of Attitudes Toward Hastened Death (SAHD-D) with patients in palliative care. Palliat Support Care. 2015 Jun;13(3):713-23. doi: 10.1017/S1478951514000492. Epub 2014 May 22.
El-Jawahri A, Forst D, Fenech A, Brenner KO, Jankowski AL, Waldman L, Sereno I, Nipp R, Greer JA, Traeger L, Jackson V, Temel J. Relationship Between Perceptions of Treatment Goals and Psychological Distress in Patients With Advanced Cancer. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2020 Jul;18(7):849-855. doi: 10.6004/jnccn.2019.7525.
Conrad M, Engelmann D, Friedrich M, Scheffold K, Philipp R, Schulz-Kindermann F, Harter M, Mehnert A, Koranyi S. [Assessment of Couples' Communication in Patients with Advanced Cancer: Validation of a German Version of the Couple Communication Scale (CCS)]. Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 2019 May;69(5):189-196. doi: 10.1055/a-0583-4837. Epub 2018 Apr 13. German.
Hack TF, McClement SE, Chochinov HM, Cann BJ, Hassard TH, Kristjanson LJ, Harlos M. Learning from dying patients during their final days: life reflections gleaned from dignity therapy. Palliat Med. 2010 Oct;24(7):715-23. doi: 10.1177/0269216310373164. Epub 2010 Jul 6.
Abedini NC, Hechtman RK, Singh AD, Khateeb R, Mann J, Townsend W, Chopra V. Interventions to reduce aggressive care at end of life among patients with cancer: a systematic review. Lancet Oncol. 2019 Nov;20(11):e627-e636. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30496-6.
Vehling S, Gerstorf D, Schulz-Kindermann F, Oechsle K, Philipp R, Scheffold K, Harter M, Mehnert A, Lo C. The daily dynamics of loss orientation and life engagement in advanced cancer: A pilot study to characterise patterns of adaptation at the end of life. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2018 Jul;27(4):e12842. doi: 10.1111/ecc.12842. Epub 2018 Apr 27.
Koranyi S, Hinz A, Hufeld JM, Hartung TJ, Quintero Garzon L, Fendel U, Letsch A, Rose M, Esser P, Mehnert-Theuerkauf A. Psychometric Evaluation of the German Version of the Demoralization Scale-II and the Association Between Demoralization, Sociodemographic, Disease- and Treatment-Related Factors in Patients With Cancer. Front Psychol. 2021 Nov 24;12:789793. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.789793. eCollection 2021.
Other Identifiers
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DKH70116803
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id