Meaning-centered psychotherapy for Mexican patients with advanced cancer

Trial of Meaning Centered Psychotherapy for Mexican Patients with Advanced Cancer

NIH-funded research Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11399205

This project offers a Spanish-language meaning-centered psychotherapy program to help Mexican people with advanced cancer cope with depression, anxiety, and worries about mortality while finding peace and purpose.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionSloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11399205 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would be offered a culturally adapted, meaning-centered therapy program designed to help people with advanced cancer deal with fears about death, uncertainty, and spiritual concerns. The program was adapted for Spanish-speaking Latinos and will be delivered by trained psycho-oncology staff in collaboration between Memorial Sloan Kettering and Mexico's National Cancer Institute (INCan). If you take part, you would attend therapy sessions at INCan and complete brief mood, meaning, and quality-of-life questionnaires before and after the therapy. The team will track changes in symptoms and wellbeing to see how the program works for Mexican patients.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are Spanish-speaking Mexican adults with advanced cancer who are experiencing depression, anxiety, or distress about meaning and the future and who receive care at or near the National Mexican Cancer Institute.

Not a fit: People without advanced cancer, those who do not speak Spanish, or patients with severe cognitive impairment or urgent medical needs may not benefit from this psychotherapy program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this therapy could reduce depression and anxiety and help patients with advanced cancer feel more meaning, peace, and purpose near the end of life.

How similar studies have performed: Meaning-centered psychotherapy has shown feasibility and benefits in prior trials and a pilot study with Spanish-speaking Latino patients, but it has not yet been tested specifically with Mexican cancer patients.

Where this research is happening

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Advanced CancerAffective DisordersCancer CenterCancer PatientCancers
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.