Clinical trial · Observational
Existential Distress in Patients with Advanced Cancer and Their Caregivers
Existential Distress in Patients with Advanced Cancer and Their Caregivers: a Longitudinal Cohort Study
- 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)
Despite the potential for alleviation of existential distress through psychosocial interventions, existential concerns and their impact on health care outcomes of patients and caregivers have not yet been systematically studied. The aim of this longitudinal cohort study is to investigate the frequency, longitudinal trajectory and predictive impact of existential distress on patient- and caregiver-relevant end-of-life outcomes. Further, it aims to determine the need for and utilization of psychosocial support in patients and caregivers with regard to existential concerns.
Conditions
Conditions (3)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carcinoma | Carcinoma | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.98 |
| Neoplasms Malignant | Malignant Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
| Palliative Care | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-report questionnaires | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- label
- Patients
- description
- Adult patients across all phases of advanced disease (UICC stage IV solid tumor or stage III lung or ovarian tumor) from diagnosis to terminal stages
- interventionNames
- Other: Self-report questionnaires
- label
- Caregivers
- description
- Adult informal caregivers of patients who are diagnosed with stage IV solid tumors or stage III lung or ovarian tumors
- interventionNames
- Other: Self-report questionnaires
Primary outcomes (4)
- measure
- Aggressiveness of care
- timeFrame
- 4 weeks prior to death
- description
- Will be assessed for patients according to the criteria by Earle et al., 2003: receipt of chemotherapy in the last two weeks of life, emergency hospital admissions or intensive-care treatment during the last month of life. Will be obtained from medical chart reviews for deceased patients.
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years and older * UICC stage IV solid tumor or UICC stage III lung or ovarian tumor * Informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Severe cognitive * Severe physical impairment * Insufficient German to give informed consent and complete self-report questionnaires
References
Publications (2)
- DERIVEDWalbaum C, Philipp R, Bokemeyer C, Harter M, Junghans J, Koch U, Oechsle K, Schilling G, Vehling S. Death Anxiety in Patients With Advanced Cancer and Their Family Caregivers. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2024 Dec;68(6):622-631. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2024.08.027. Epub 2024 Aug 29. PMID 39182590
- DERIVEDPhilipp R, Kalender A, Harter M, Bokemeyer C, Oechsle K, Koch U, Vehling S. Existential distress in patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers: study protocol of a longitudinal cohort study. BMJ Open. 2021 Apr 24;11(4):e046351. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046351. PMID 33895716