Clinical trial · Interventional
Randomized Controlled Trial of Group Psychotherapy Interventions for Cancer Patients
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Group Psychotherapy Interventions for Cancer Patients
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The purpose of this study is to compare two types of group counseling for cancer patients: Meaning-Centered counseling and Supportive counseling. Many cancer patients seek counseling to help with the emotional burden of their illnesses. Counseling often helps them cope with cancer by giving them a place to express their feelings. "Meaning-Centered" group counseling is intended to teach cancer patients how to maintain or even increase a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives, despite cancer. "Supportive" group counseling is intended to help you cope with cancer by giving you a place to express your feelings and get support from other cancer patients. The purpose of this study is to compare the benefits of these two types of counseling approaches for cancer patients.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palliative Care | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meaning Centered Group Psychotherapy | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Supportive Group Psychotherapy | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- 1
- description
- Meaning Centered Group Psychotherapy (MCGP)
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Meaning Centered Group Psychotherapy
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- 2
- description
- standardized Supportive Group Psychotherapy
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Supportive Group Psychotherapy
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- The primary outcomes to be measured include measures of spiritual well-being (meaning) and psychological distress (depression, hopelessness, optimism quality of life).
- timeFrame
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 21 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * \> or = to 21 years of age. * All patients with stage IV solid tumor cancers; or Stage III solid tumor cancers(excluding breast and prostate cancer) who are receiving ambulatory care at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. * Able to communicate with an English speaking therapist * Able to comprehend English to complete study assessments Exclusion Criteria: * Significant psychiatric disturbance sufficient, in the investigator's judgment, to preclude participation in a group-format intervention (i.e., acute psychiatric symptoms which require individual treatment). * Presence of cognitive impairment disorder (i.e., delirium or dementia) sufficient, in the investigator's judgment, to preclude meaningful informed consent and/or data collection. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) will be used as a cognitive screening tool. Patients with MMSE scores below 20 will be excluded. * Karnofsky Performance Rating Scale score below 50 or physical limitations or illness severity sufficient to preclude participation in outpatient group psychotherapy.
References
Publications (1)
- DERIVEDBreitbart W, Rosenfeld B, Pessin H, Applebaum A, Kulikowski J, Lichtenthal WG. Meaning-centered group psychotherapy: an effective intervention for improving psychological well-being in patients with advanced cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2015 Mar 1;33(7):749-54. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2014.57.2198. Epub 2015 Feb 2. PMID 25646186