Stage IV Colorectal Cancer
Conditions
Keywords
Stage IV Colorectal Cancer
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to try and improve the way that patients with colon cancer understand and cope with their illness and give them tools for talking with their loved ones and family about their illness.
Detailed description
Dignity Therapy is a well tolerated structured interview that helps patients reflect on who they are, what is most important to them and what lessons they have learned through life. For patients not receiving chemotherapy, Dignity Therapy gave patients more hope, more meaning in their life, and helped their families. Researchers at Northwestern University would like to see if it has the same effect in patients getting chemotherapy. We will also see if the Dignity Therapy changes patient's understanding of their disease and their medical preferences. All study procedures will take place when participants come for a scheduled doctor's visit or to receive chemotherapy. At the first visit participants will answer a questionnaire taking approximately 15-30 minutes. Participants will then have a Dignity Therapy Session approximately 1-2 weeks later. A second Dignity Therapy Session will be scheduled again in another 1-2 weeks. Each study Dignity Therapy Session will take approximately an hour. One to two weeks later a repeat questionnaire will be filled out. Finally, a third and final questionnaire will be complete 4 weeks later.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALDignity Therapy
Dignity therapy is a psychotherapeutic intervention developed to address psychosocial and existential distress among terminally ill patients. Basically, it invites patients to discuss topics that matter most or how they want to be remembered. This interview is recorded and then edited and returned to the patient to be used for further reflection or for sharing with loved ones.
Sponsors
Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center
Northwestern University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Participants must be currently receiving treatment for stage IV colorectal cancer. * Participants must have experience disease progression after their first course of treatment and are being considered for second course of treatment or have already started their second course of treatment. * Participants must be 18 years old or older. * All participants must have given signed, informed consent prior to registration on study. * Participants must speak English.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Impact of Dignity Therapy | at baseline, 1-2 weeks after completion of dignity therapy sessions, 1 month after completion of sessions | Measure the impact of dignity therapy on terminal illness acknowledgment and presence of peaceful awareness. Subjects will complete self-evaluation questionnaires at the point of registration and upon completing dignity therapy sessions. The impact will be determined by changes in the patient's baseline self-reported parameters. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Measure the impact of dignity therapy on life sustaining therapy and end-of-life goals of care. | at baseline, 1-2 weeks after completion of dignity therapy sessions, 1 month after completion of dignity therapy sessions | Subjects will complete self-evaluation questionnaires at the point of registration and upon completing dignity therapy sessions. The impact will be determined by changes in the patient's baseline self-reported parameters. |
| Establish a correlation between terminal illness acknowledgement and presence of peaceful awareness with preferences for life sustaining therapy and end-of-life goals of care. | At Study Completion | Establish a correlation between terminal illness acknowledgement and presence of peaceful awareness with preferences for life sustaining therapy and end-of-life goals of care. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed