Personalized oxygen therapies for cancer-related breathing difficulties
Official title: Strategies for Personalizing Oxygen and support Therapies for dyspnea in Oncology
Funded at University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr · NIH-11074530 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking to help people with advanced cancer who are having trouble breathing by comparing a special program led by respiratory therapists to regular care, to see which one works better at making breathing easier.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $665,353 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA288515-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11074530 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients with advanced cancer experiencing significant dyspnea.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with early-stage cancer or those not experiencing breathing difficulties may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on improving the management of dyspnea, a common and distressing symptom in patients with advanced cancer. It aims to compare a personalized intervention led by respiratory therapists, which includes tailored oxygen and support therapies, against standard care. The study will involve a randomized clinical trial design to assess the effectiveness of these personalized approaches in alleviating breathing difficulties. Patients will receive either the new intervention or enhanced usual care to determine which is more effective in reducing dyspnea.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective treatments for managing breathing difficulties in cancer patients, improving their quality of life.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has indicated limited efficacy of existing palliative interventions for dyspnea, highlighting the need for innovative approaches like this one.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hui, David — University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
- Study coordinator: Hui, David
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Patient-centered risk profiling to tailor breathlessness care
A study from UCLA aims to use AI to identify why a smoker experiences shortness of breath and tailor care to each person.
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Understanding how the brain shapes breathing to help people with persistent breathlessness
Researchers are studying how higher brain regions influence breathing and the feeling of breathlessness in people with conditions like COPD and asthma, with the goal of safer, non-ventilation-impairing treatments.
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Predicting and continuously monitoring breathlessness with noninvasive signals
A study to create a machine-learning tool that uses easy-to-measure body signals to predict when patients feel breathless, even if they can’t communicate.
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Personalized oxygen and breathing support for cancer-related breathlessness
This trial compares a respiratory-therapist-led program that tailors oxygen and other breathing supports to help hospitalized patients with advanced cancer who are bothered by breathlessness.
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How the brain creates ongoing breathlessness
Researchers are recording brain signals from people who already have implanted epilepsy electrodes to understand how higher brain regions produce ongoing breathlessness in conditions like COPD, asthma, heart or neuromuscular disease.
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Brief behavioral support to help breathlessness in advanced lung cancer
A multi-site study tests a short behavioral program delivered by nurses to help adults with advanced lung cancer feel less breathless and more able to do daily activities.
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.