Meaning-Centered Counseling for Chinese Patients Who Are Being Treated for Advanced Cancer
Running, not enrolling
Conditions studied: Advanced Cancer
In brief
The purpose of the study is to modify a type of counseling called "Individual Meaning Centered Psychotherapy" to meet the needs of Chinese cancer patients. Many cancer patients use counseling or other resources to help cope with the emotional burden of their illnesses. Counseling often helps them cope with cancer by giving them a place to express their feelings. "Meaning-Centered" counseling aims to teach cancer patients how to maintain or even increase a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives, despite cancer.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT02112188
- Run by
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- People needed
- 84
- Starts
- 2014-04-01
- Expected to finish
- 2027-02-15
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-05-22
Who can join
Age: 21 and older, up to 80. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Phases 1 and 2:
- Interview Inclusion Criteria (per self-report):
- Non-US born;
- Of Chinese descent;
- Age 21 years through 80 years;
- Language spoken: Mandarin and/or English
- Diagnosis of Stage IV cancer (any type).
- Phase 3:
- Stage III or IV cancer (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR). If traditional staging does not apply (i.e. for leukemia), we can allow patient deemed by provider to have poor prognosis/roughly equivalent to Stage III or IV to be referred.
- Age 18 or older
- Of Chinese descent
- Mandarin-speaking
- Have an estimated life expectancy of at least 6 months (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR)
- Resides in New York State or New Jersey
- Phase 4:
- Stage III or IV cancer (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR). If traditional staging does not apply (i.e. for leukemia), we can allow patient deemed by provider to have poor prognosis/roughly equivalent to Stage III or IV to be referred.
- Age 18 or older
- Of Chinese descent
- Mandarin-speaking
- Have an estimated life expectancy of at least 6 months (per referring physician assessment or on the MSKCC EMR)
- Resides in New York State or New Jersey
You may not qualify if…
- Phases 1 and 2:
- Presence of cognitive impairment disorder (e.g., delirium or dementia) sufficient to preclude meaningful informed consent and/or data collection. The Chinese version of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) (46) will be used as a cognitive screening tool. Patients with MMSE scores below 20 will be excluded. For English speaking patients we will use the English version of the MMSE.
- Has a household member who has already participated (or agreed to participate).
- Phase 3:
- Previous participation in Phases 1 or 2 of the study
- Unable/unwilling to use or no access to a telehealth platform (i.e., telephone or videoconference)
- For participants who express interest in RSMI, unable/unwilling to use Zoom videoconferencing platform
- Unable or unwilling to commit to up to 16 weeks to complete 6-session intervention and follow-up assessments
- Major psychiatric illness or cognitive impairment that in the judgment of study investigators or study staff would preclude study participation
- Patients diagnosed with primary brain tumors (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR), as they may have difficulty completing the intervention and answering questionnaires
- Undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR)
- Currently in psychotherapeutic treatment (patients being treated with psychotropic medications will not be excluded, as long as they are not in psychotherapy; per self report)
- Phase 4:
- Previous participation in Phases 1, 2, or 3 of the study
- Unable/unwilling to use or no access to the Zoom videoconferencing platform (required for RSMI)
- Unable or unwilling to commit to up to 16 weeks to complete 6-session intervention and follow-up assessments
- Major psychiatric illness or cognitive impairment that in the judgment of study investigators or study staff would preclude study participation
- Patients diagnosed with primary brain tumors (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR), as they may have difficulty completing the intervention and answering questionnaires
- Undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR)
- Currently in psychotherapeutic treatment (patients being treated with psychotropic medications will not be excluded, as long as they are not in psychotherapy; per self report)
Where it is running
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Limited Protocol Activities) — Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth (Limited Protocol Activities) — Middletown, New Jersey, United States
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen (Limited Protocol Activities) — Montvale, New Jersey, United States
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Suffolk- Commack (Limited Protocol Activities) — Commack, New York, United States
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester (Limited Protocol Activities) — Harrison, New York, United States
- City College of New York (Data Collection AND Data Analysis) — New York, New York, United States
- MSK at Ralph Lauren (Limited Protocol Activities) — New York, New York, United States
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center — New York, New York, United States
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau (Limited Protocol Activities) — Uniondale, New York, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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