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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Multimodal Therapy in Treating Sleep Disturbance in Patients With Cancer

Multimodal Therapy for the Treatment of Sleep Disturbance in Patients With Cancer

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01628029
Enrollment
68
Registered
2012-06-26
Start date
2014-01-15
Completion date
2028-12-31
Last updated
2026-05-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Cell Neoplasm, Malignant Solid Neoplasm, Sleep Disorder

Brief summary

This randomized phase II trial studies how well cognitive behavioral therapy and multimodal therapy works in treating sleep disturbance in patients with cancer. Cognitive behavioral therapy may help reduce sleep disturbances, fatigue, and insomnia as well as improve the well-being and quality of life of patients with cancer when given together with methylphenidate hydrochloride, therapeutic melatonin, and light therapy.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. To obtain preliminary estimates of the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and various treatments (light therapy, melatonin, methylphenidate \[methylphenidate hydrochloride\]) and combinations of treatments in multimodal therapy (MMT) in reducing sleep disturbance in patients with cancer, as measured by change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores taken at baseline and on day 15. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To explore the effect of MMT on Insomnia Severity Index, cancer related symptoms (fatigue \[Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT-F) subscale, Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)\], anxiety, depression anxiety \[Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), ESAS\]), quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General \[FACT-G\], ESAS), and physical activity/sleep efficacy (actigraphy), before and after treatment with various sleep disturbance (SD) treatment combinations of MMT. II. To determine the safety of MMT (type, frequency, and severity of the adverse events). OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 8 treatment arms. ARM I: Patients undergo CBT comprising 3 30-minute counseling sessions between baseline and day 14. Patients also receive methylphenidate hydrochloride orally (PO) twice daily (BID) and therapeutic melatonin PO once daily (QD), and undergo light therapy over 30 minutes for 15 days. ARM II: Patients undergo CBT as in Arm I. Patients also receive methylphenidate placebo PO BID and melatonin placebo PO QD, and undergo sham light therapy over 30 minutes for 15 days. ARM III: Patients undergo CBT as in Arm I. Patients also receive methylphenidate hydrochloride PO BID and therapeutic melatonin PO QD, and undergo sham light therapy over 30 minutes for 15 days. ARM IV: Patients undergo CBT as in Arm I. Patients also receive methylphenidate hydrochloride PO BID and melatonin placebo PO QD, and undergo light therapy over 30 minutes for 15 days. ARM V: Patients undergo CBT as in Arm I. Patients also receive methylphenidate placebo PO BID and therapeutic melatonin PO QD, and undergo light therapy over 30 minutes for 15 days. ARM VI: Patients undergo CBT as in Arm I. Patients also receive methylphenidate placebo PO BID and melatonin placebo PO QD, and undergo light therapy over 30 minutes for 15 days. ARM VII: Patients undergo CBT as in Arm I. Patients also receive methylphenidate hydrochloride PO BID and melatonin placebo PO QD, and undergo sham light therapy over 30 minutes for 15 days. ARM VIII: Patients undergo CBT as in Arm I. Patients also receive methylphenidate placebo PO BID and therapeutic melatonin PO QD, and undergo sham light therapy over 30 minutes for 15 days. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up on days 29 and 45.

Interventions

OTHERCounseling

Undergo CBT

DRUGMethylphenidate Hydrochloride

Given PO

PROCEDUREPhototherapy

Undergo light therapy

OTHERPlacebo Administration

Given PO

OTHERQuality-of-Life Assessment

Ancillary studies

PROCEDURESham Intervention

Undergo sham light therapy

Sponsors

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Cancer patients currently on cancer therapy with a positive screening for SD (screening PSQI score \>= 5) * Patients should have a Zubrod =\< 2 * Patients with no pain and with stable pain (defined as pain under control and on stable doses of opioids for 1 week) are eligible * Memorial delirium assessment scale =\< 13 * Controlled pain and depression symptoms, if present (defined as no change in the morphine equivalent dose of 30% or change in the dose of antidepressant medication in the past 2 weeks) * All patients who are receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy are eligible for study if they have completed \> 1 week of radiation therapy, and if they have been approved to go on study by their primary oncologist; the principal investigator (PI)/designated research staff of this study will obtain and document approval from the primary oncologist and principal investigator of the clinical trial in case the patient is on another clinical trial as referenced in the patient's study documents * Serum creatinine =\< 2.0 mg/dL * Total bilirubin =\< 1.5 mg/dL * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\]) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 2 x upper limit of normal (ULN) or =\< 5 x ULN if hepatic metastases are present * Patients on stable doses (defined as same dose for 2 weeks) of dexamethasone, mirtazapine, zolpidem, benzodiazepines, phenothiazines are allowed to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

* Have a major contraindication to methylphenidate (MP) (e.g., allergy/hypersensitivity to study medications or their constituents), light therapy (e.g., currently receiving ultraviolet A \[UVA\]/ultraviolet B \[UVB\] therapy), cognitive behavioral therapy (e.g., schizophrenia), or conditions making adherence difficult as determined by the attending physician * Currently taking MP or have taken it within the previous 10 days * Patients with a diagnosis of polysomnographically confirmed obstructive sleep apnea or narcolepsy * Regularly used cognitive behavioral therapy in the last 6 weeks for sleep disturbance * Unable to complete the baseline assessment forms or to understand the recommendations for participation in the study * Currently with a diagnosis of major depression, manic depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or schizophrenia) * Need monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, or clonidine * Have glaucoma * Symptomatic tachycardia and uncontrolled hypertension (determined to be clinically significant by the PI) * Currently receiving anticonvulsants (phenobarbital, diphenylhydantoin, primidone), phenylbutazone, clonidine, and/or tricyclic drugs (imipramine, clomipramine, or desipramine) * Unable to speak and understand English * Persons with congenital blindness and self-reported acquired blindness (independent of the cause) with no light perception * Patients with a history of retinal disease * Patients with \> 2 hours of direct exposure to outdoor natural light per day by interview with the Study Coordinator * Patients with a diagnosis of obesity hypoventilation syndrome * Positive pregnancy test for women of childbearing potential, as defined by intact uterus and ovaries, and a history of menses within the last 12 months; pregnancy test to be performed no greater than 14 days prior to consent in study; in cases of women with elevated beta (b)-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), these candidates will be eligible to participate so long as the level of b-HCG is not consistent with pregnancy; women of childbearing potential need to be on or use contraception, or be abstinent during the study period; their male partners must also use contraception (condom) or maintain abstinence; birth control specifications: women who are able to become pregnant must use birth control during the study and for 30 days after * Women who are nursing * Patients who have taken melatonin within the past two weeks

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Score ChangeBaseline and Day 15PSQI consists of 19 items, and it measures several different aspects of sleep, offering seven component scores and one composite score. The component scores consist of subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction. Each component score ranges from 0 (no difficulty/good) to 3 (severe difficulty/poor). The global PSQI score is then calculated by totaling (summed) seven component scores, providing an overall score ranging from 0 to 21, where 0 indicates very good sleep quality and 21 signifies very poor sleep quality. A global score of greater than 5 often suggests significant sleep problems. In this study, Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine the p value.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy- Fatigue (FACIT-F) Subscale Score ChangeBaseline and Day 15There are 13 items in this FACIT-F subscale. In this subscale, the patient rates the intensity of fatigue and its related symptoms on a scale from 0 to 4 in the past week. The total score can range between 0 and 52, with higher scores denoting less fatigue. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine the p-value.
Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)) Score ChangeBaseline and Day 15The ISI is a 7-item questionnaire designed to evaluate insomnia severity. Each item is rated using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (very much), for a total score ranging from 0 to 28 with a cut-off score of 10 or greater indicating significant insomnia. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine the p-value.
Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G) Score ChangeBaseline and Day 15The FACT-G is a quality-of-life instrument that is commonly used in cancer clinical trials. FACT-G consists of 27 general quality-of-life questions divided into 4 domains (physical, social, emotional and functional). The patient rates the intensity of symptoms on a Likert scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (very much). Total score ranges from 0-108 with higher score indicates better Quality of Life. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine the p-value.

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSriram Yennu

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic
Age, Continuous54 years
Cancer Distribution of the participants
Breast
4 Participants
Cancer Distribution of the participants
GI
16 Participants
Cancer Distribution of the participants
GU
0 Participants
Cancer Distribution of the participants
GYN
8 Participants
Cancer Distribution of the participants
Lung
0 Participants
Cancer Distribution of the participants
Other
4 Participants
Cancer Distribution of the participants
Sarcoma
5 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
1 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
4 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
50 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
9 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
6 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
1 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
EG002
affected / at risk
EG003
affected / at risk
EG004
affected / at risk
EG005
affected / at risk
EG006
affected / at risk
EG007
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
1 / 90 / 60 / 70 / 90 / 90 / 80 / 70 / 9
other
Total, other adverse events
4 / 90 / 61 / 72 / 91 / 92 / 83 / 70 / 9
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 90 / 60 / 70 / 90 / 90 / 80 / 70 / 9

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 23, 2026