Engage: A Telehealth Program to Help Patients with Advanced Cancer Manage Symptoms
Official title: Engage: A Randomized Controlled Trial Testing the Efficacy of a Telehealth-Delivered Psychosocial Intervention to Decrease Symptom Interference in Patients with Advanced Cancer
Funded at Duke University · NIH-11158704 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program offers a telehealth-delivered approach to help patients with advanced cancer better manage symptoms like pain, fatigue, and distress that interfere with their daily lives.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $571,207 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA291768-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11158704 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with advanced cancer who are experiencing significant pain, fatigue, or distress that interferes with their daily activities.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have advanced cancer or are not experiencing significant symptom interference may not find this program beneficial.
What this research studies
Patients living with advanced cancer often experience challenging symptoms such as pain, tiredness, and emotional distress, which can make it hard to live life fully. Current medical treatments for these symptoms sometimes have side effects or don't fully address all concerns. This program, called ENGAGE, combines traditional coping skills with acceptance and mindfulness techniques to help you reduce symptom severity and accept experiences that cannot be changed. The goal is to lessen how much these symptoms disrupt your life and improve your overall well-being. This approach is delivered remotely, making it accessible from your home.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could offer patients with advanced cancer a new way to reduce the impact of difficult symptoms on their daily lives and significantly improve their quality of life.
How similar studies have gone: Pilot programs using this approach have shown promising results, but this larger effort aims to confirm its effectiveness in a more comprehensive way.
Where this research is happening
-
Duke University
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Winger, Joseph Giles — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Winger, Joseph Giles
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Brief Meaning Centered Psychotherapy for Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving Homecare
A practical study tests a short, meaning-centered talk therapy delivered by home health nurses to reduce distress in people with advanced cancer who get home care.
-
BOLSTER: Strengthening Care for Advanced Cancer Patients and Their Caregivers
A multi-site trial tests a bundled, patient- and caregiver-centered palliative care program to improve quality of life and reduce hospital visits for people with advanced solid tumors.
-
Engage: Telehealth psychosocial support to reduce symptom interference in advanced cancer
A proven, doctor-guided telehealth program helps people with advanced cancer cope with pain, fatigue, and distress so these symptoms interfere less with daily life.
-
Self-System Therapy to help older adults with advanced cancer feel less distressed and live better, delivered by telehealth
A telehealth program tests a therapy designed to help adults 60 and older living with advanced cancer feel less distress and improve emotion regulation and quality of life.
-
Testing a meditation support program for Black patients with advanced cancer
This study is looking at how a special meditation program can help Black patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers cope better and feel less stressed, making sure it fits their unique needs and can be easily included in their care.
-
Testing a telehealth program to help patients with advanced cancer manage symptoms
This study is testing a friendly online program called ENGAGE that helps people with advanced cancer manage tough symptoms like pain and fatigue, using helpful techniques to improve their daily lives and well-being.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.