Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

Life-threatening physical illness may powerfully re-activate existential conflict. There is little evidence to date on the effectiveness of relationship-focused therapies in this patient group.The aim of this study is to pilot a psychodynamic treatment for patients with advanced cancer and high psychological distress.


Clinical Trial Description

Severely physically ill patients may experience existential distress symptoms including helplessness, hopelessness, death anxiety, perceived burdensomeness and a sense of pointlessness. The latter can significantly interfere with end-of-life care processes and outcomes (receipt of treatment according to preferences, expression of desire for hastened death). So far, empirically tested psychotherapeutic programs in advanced life-threatening illness have predominantly been ultra-short and applied supportive and resource-oriented techniques. Psychodynamic treatment allows to address clinically significant existential distress through its conceptualization from early relational life experiences. The aim of this study is to pilot a psychodynamic treatment for patients with advanced cancer and high psychological distress.The inverstigators will 1. analyse the feasibility of the treatment, and 2. investigate changes in process- and patient-relevant outcomes over the course of the treatment The inverstigators will conduct a single-group pre-post study with five assessment points in which 50 adult patients diagnosed with advanced cancer will receive a manualized psychodynamic short-term therapy. Target parameters are assessed by diagnostic interviews, focus interviews, self-assessment questionnaires as well as electronic patient records. For research objective b) the investigators will compare the intervention group with a matched comparison group of a longitudinal cohort sample (NCT04600206). Matching will be based on stress level, demographic, and medical parameters across the 5 assessment points. ;


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT05520281
Study type Interventional
Source Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
Contact Sigrun Vehling, PD, PhD
Phone +4940741056805
Email s.vehling@uke.de
Status Recruiting
Phase N/A
Start date September 15, 2022
Completion date June 30, 2025

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Recruiting NCT05283226 - Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Oral NRC-2694-A in Combination With Paclitaxel in Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Who Progressed on or After Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy Phase 2
Active, not recruiting NCT04362072 - Study of Lorlatinib In People With ALK-positive Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Phase 4
Completed NCT04033991 - Study of Patients With Metastatic and/or Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma, Treated With Sunitinib/Axitinib.
Recruiting NCT02292641 - Beyond TME Origins N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT02907606 - Urinary Circulating Tumor DNA Detection in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: a Prospective Study N/A
Completed NCT02507544 - A Safety and Pharmacokinetic Study of TRX-818 Administered Orally to Patients With Advanced Cancer Phase 1
Completed NCT01942200 - A Non Interventional Study With Oxaliplatin Onkovis (Oxaliplatin) Utilized for the Treatment of Cancer
Completed NCT01061645 - Study of MOC31-PE in Antigen Positive Carcinomas Phase 1
Completed NCT00532155 - A Study of Aflibercept Versus Placebo in Patients With Second-Line Docetaxel for Locally Advanced or Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Phase 3
Terminated NCT00557596 - A Phase 1-2, XIAP Antisense AEG35156 With Gemcitabine in Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed NCT00216372 - Efficacy and Safety of Lanreotide Microparticles as Palliative Treatment in Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Phase 3
Recruiting NCT06022757 - Study of XNW5004 Tablet in Combination With KEYTRUDA® (Pembrolizumab) in Subjects With Advanced Solid Tumors Who Failed Standard Treatments (KEYNOTE F19) Phase 1/Phase 2
Recruiting NCT05752357 - The Role of Pre-operative and Post-operative Circulating Tumor Cells in Gastric Cancer.
Not yet recruiting NCT05023928 - Tumor Antigen-sensitized DC Vaccine as an Adjuvant Therapy for Esophagus Cancer Phase 1
Completed NCT00446446 - PRISM (Panitumumab Regimen In Second-line Monotherapy of Head and Neck Cancer) Phase 2
Recruiting NCT04566952 - Anlotinib Combined With Dose-reduced Olaparib in Patients With Platinum-Sensitive Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Phase 2
Not yet recruiting NCT06112041 - The Prospective Clinical Study of Precision PRaG Therapy in Elderly Patients With Advanced Solid Malignant Tumors (PRaG9.0) Phase 2
Completed NCT03562897 - Evaluation of Ocoxin-Viusid® in Advanced or Metastatic Ovarian Epithelial Cancer Phase 2
Recruiting NCT06013111 - An Exploratory Clinical Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Anti-CEA-CAR-T Cells Injection in Patients With CEA+ Locally Advanced and/or Metastatic Solid Tumors Phase 1
Active, not recruiting NCT04600206 - Existential Distress in Patients With Advanced Cancer and Their Caregivers