Biobehavioral Effects of Emotional Expression in Cancer

Sponsor
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Other)
Overall Status
Active, not recruiting
CT.gov ID
NCT00505310
Collaborator
National Cancer Institute (NCI) (NIH)
710
1
2
252.3
2.8

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

The proposed study will assess the psychological and physiological benefits of an emotional expression intervention in patients with renal cancer. Patients will be randomly assigned to an emotional expression writing group or to a neutral writing group. This study will also evaluate the extent to which psychosocial factors mediate the intervention program and predict patients' recovery and adjustment to treatment. Potential mediators include level of cognitive processing, social networks/interactions, and sense of coherence and ability to find meaning in the illness experience.

Specific objectives of the proposed research are:
  • To evaluate an emotional expression intervention in patients with renal cancer. Researchers will determine the extent to which an emotional expression writing-based intervention enhances adjustment during the first 12 months following diagnosis and treatment. Dimensions of adjustment will be assessed by examining indices of QOL, mental health, and stress (subjective symptoms of distress, perceived stress, and mood).

  • To determine the effects of an emotional expression writing-based intervention on immune function. The immune measures assessed in this study will include both general and autologous tumor-specific immune responses including cytotoxicity to K562 target cells; cytotoxicity to autologous tumor target cells; and functional assessment of type-1 and type-2 cytokines using autologous tumor and polyclonal stimulants.

  • To identify the psychosocial processes underlying the efficacy of the intervention.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Behavioral: Writing
  • Behavioral: Questionnaire
N/A

Detailed Description

Patients in this study will already be scheduled for surgery/ablation, or for chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment. Patients undergoing surgery/ablation will complete some questionnaires about their mood and quality of life. These questionnaires will happen about 6 weeks after their procedure, during their scheduled visit to M.D. Anderson to follow-up after their surgery. Patients scheduled to receive chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment will complete the same questionnaires around the time of their new patient consult visit at M.D. Anderson. They should take about 60 minutes to complete. About 8 teaspoons of blood will be drawn to measure immune function.

Patients will then be randomly picked (as in the toss of a coin) to be in one of two groups. One group will be the emotional expression writing group. The other group will be the neutral writing group.

Patients in both groups will be asked to write for 20 minutes on different topics at four different times. They will be asked to complete all assignments in their home. They will choose four separate times when they would like to do the writing assignments and a research assistant will prompt them with a phone call at those times. During these phone calls, patients will complete a brief mood evaluation before the start of the writing session. After 20 minutes, patients will receive another phone call to signal that they should stop writing. A second mood assessment will also be given at this time. Patients will be provided with a pre-addressed, stamped envelope for mailing each writing sample back to M. D. Anderson the day after it is completed.

Patients will complete some questionnaires about their mood and quality of life approximately 1 month, 4 months, and 10 months after their last writing assignment. They should take about 60 minutes to complete. About 8 teaspoons of blood will then be taken each time to measure immune function.

This is an investigational study. As many as 710 patients will be enrolled in this study. All will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson.

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Anticipated Enrollment :
710 participants
Allocation:
Randomized
Intervention Model:
Parallel Assignment
Masking:
None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose:
Supportive Care
Official Title:
Biobehavioral Effects of Emotional Expression in Cancer
Actual Study Start Date :
Aug 21, 2002
Anticipated Primary Completion Date :
Aug 31, 2023
Anticipated Study Completion Date :
Aug 31, 2023

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: Emotional Expression Writing

20 minutes of writing on different topics at four different times. Questionnaires about mood and quality of life completed 1 month, 4 months, and 10 months after the last writing assignment.

Behavioral: Writing
20 minutes of writing on different topics at four different times.

Behavioral: Questionnaire
Questionnaires about mood and quality of life completed 1 month, 4 months, and 10 months after the last writing assignment.
Other Names:
  • Survey
  • Experimental: Neutral Writing

    20 minutes of writing on different topics at four different times. Questionnaires about mood and quality of life completed 1 month, 4 months, and 10 months after the last writing assignment.

    Behavioral: Writing
    20 minutes of writing on different topics at four different times.

    Behavioral: Questionnaire
    Questionnaires about mood and quality of life completed 1 month, 4 months, and 10 months after the last writing assignment.
    Other Names:
  • Survey
  • Outcome Measures

    Primary Outcome Measures

    1. To measure the psychological and physiological benefits of an emotional expression program in patients with kidney cancer. [8 Years]

    Secondary Outcome Measures

    1. To learn how the expression of emotions affects quality of life, stress, and immune function. [8 Years]

    Eligibility Criteria

    Criteria

    Ages Eligible for Study:
    18 Years and Older
    Sexes Eligible for Study:
    All
    Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
    No
    Inclusion Criteria:
    1. Men or woman older than 18 years with stage I-IV renal cell carcinoma 2) Zubrod performance status of less than or equal to 2 3) have no serious intercurrent medical illness 4) read and speak English
    Exclusion Criteria:
    1. Score of 23 or below on the Mini-mental 2) History of primary or secondary immunodeficiency 3) Taking immunosuppressive drugs such as systemic corticosteroid 4) Patients who are undergoing a surgical procedure and do not sign the general tissue consent form 5) Patients with major psychiatric diagnoses or currently seeking psychological counseling.

    Contacts and Locations

    Locations

    Site City State Country Postal Code
    1 University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston Texas United States 77030

    Sponsors and Collaborators

    • M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
    • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

    Investigators

    • Principal Investigator: Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

    Study Documents (Full-Text)

    None provided.

    More Information

    Additional Information:

    Publications

    None provided.
    Responsible Party:
    M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
    NCT00505310
    Other Study ID Numbers:
    • ID00-168
    • NCI-2012-02100
    First Posted:
    Jul 23, 2007
    Last Update Posted:
    Mar 16, 2022
    Last Verified:
    Mar 1, 2022
    Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product:
    No
    Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product:
    No
    Keywords provided by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
    Additional relevant MeSH terms:

    Study Results

    No Results Posted as of Mar 16, 2022