A Spiritual Health Intervention (PATH) for Improving Spiritual, Religious and Emotional Distress in Cancer Patients

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm, Malignant Solid Neoplasm

In brief

This clinical trial tests the feasibility and effectiveness of a spiritual health intervention (Personal Archetypes Toward Healing Trial \[PATH\]) for improving spiritual, religious and existential distress in patients with cancer. Many patients with cancer find their diagnosis to elicit challenges to their sense of connection, meaning, and purpose. This distress can significantly impact their quality of life. However, spiritual care interventions are often overlooked. PATH builds on multiple theories and therapeutic practices such as role-playing, archetype psychology, cognitive theory, emotion regulation therapy, and dignity therapy. PATH sessions cover topics such as individuation, intrapersonal meaning and worth, intrapersonal distress and faith, interpersonal distress and faith, and transpersonal distress and faith. The PATH intervention may help cancer patients shift their perspectives and access new insights for working through their spiritual, religious and existential distress.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07545291

Run by

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

People needed

20

Starts

2026-09-01

Expected to finish

2027-03-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-05

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age 18 years of age or older
• English speaking
• Able to provide informed consent
• Current diagnosis of cancer at any stage, engaged in active treatment or surveillance at Fred Hutch Cancer Center
• Scores of "Somewhat" or above on at least 1 item the Religious and Spiritual Struggles scale (RSS-5) (e.g., Somewhat = 3 on a 1-to-5 Likert scale)

You may not qualify if…

• Non-oncology Fred Hutch patients

Where it is running

• Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium — Seattle, Washington, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.