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A Pilot Study of Prostate Cancer-specific Anxiety in Active Surveillance

A Pilot Study of Prostate Cancer-specific Anxiety in Active Surveillance

Status
Terminated
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03227744
Enrollment
26
Registered
2017-07-24
Start date
2017-04-19
Completion date
2018-12-28
Last updated
2019-02-06

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

Conditions

Prostate Cancer

Keywords

Prostate Cancer, Anxiety

Brief summary

This study is a clinical trial to determine whether a 12-week group therapy intervention for patients undergoing Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer can relieve disease-related anxiety and improve quality of life and delay elective treatment of prostate cancer. The goal of the study is to further our understanding of anxiety in men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and are undergoing Active Surveillance. Men who have elected Active Surveillance for their management of prostate cancer are eligible to participate in this study. After signing informed consent, all participants will complete two brief questionnaires (The Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer \[MAX-PC\] and the General Anxiety and Depression Scale 7 \[GAD-7\] to measure their anxiety levels. If the participant scores above a certain number, they will be asked to participate in the study. Patients will be randomly assigned to either a control group, who will receive no treatment, but continue to follow up with their urologist to manage their prostate cancer as usual, or the treatment group. The treatment group will receive 12 one-hour group therapy sessions that will take place once a week for 12 weeks with a licensed psychologist free of charge. They will be instructed to follow up with their urologist as previously determined for their prostate cancer management. Patients in both groups will be monitored for anxiety completing three questionnaires, the MAX-PC and GAD-7 which they previously completed, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Prostate (FACT-P) during the 4th and 12th weeks of therapy. If patients require further therapy beyond the group treatment sessions, the investigators may refer them to a psychologist or psychiatrist for further treatment.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALGroup therapy

Twelve 1-hour group therapy sessions with a licensed psychologist for prostate-cancer related anxiety.

OTHERSurveys

MAX-PC, GAD and FACT-P

Sponsors

NYU Langone Health
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
40 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age of 40 * Primary diagnosis of Prostate Cancer * Initial MAX-PC score of ≥16. * Sign a consent form allowing related information to be included in this research.

Exclusion criteria

* Prostate cancer is not their primary diagnosis. * Have pre-existing diagnosed psychiatric conditions, are currently taking psychotropic medications (e.g., antidepressants, anxiolytics, mood stabilizers.) * Have been diagnosed with cancer other than prostate cancer (and non-melanoma skin cancer) * Evidence of active substance abuse. * Participants in the treatment group who are absent from more than 3 therapy sessions will be excluded.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Assessment of MAX-PC ScoresChange from baseline to 4 weeks to 12 weeksTwo groups, the experimental (recipients of group therapy) and the control (literature only) will be compared for anxiety based on their MAX-PC questionnaire scores. Eighteen questions about anxiety related to prostate cancer and prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests are graded from 0-3 (0 = not at all; 3 = often), yielding a total between 0 and 54.
Assessment of FACT-P ScoresChange from baseline to 4 weeks to 12 weeksTwo groups, the experimental (recipients of group therapy) and the control (literature only) will be compared for anxiety based on their FACT-P questionnaire scores. Twenty-seven questions about physical, social/family, emotional and functional well-being are graded from 0-4 (0 = not at all; 4 = very much), yielding a total between 0 and 108.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Assessment of anxiety scores as a function of timeChange from baseline to 4 weeks to 12 weeksIn secondary analysis, a mixed effects model will be used when the outcome vector consists of all three measurements (baseline, 4 and 12 weeks) and via statistical contrasts will examine whether the relationship between PSA anxiety scores and time is linear or if the effect of intervention on anxiety scores is fully observed by week 4. Two-sided p-values ≤ 0.05 will be considered statistically significant.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026