Online compassion training for breast cancer survivors and their caregivers

The SUPORT Project: Leveraging Social Connection by Including Informal Caregivers in an Internet Video Conference-based Compassion Meditation Intervention to Reduce Psychological Distress in Breast Cancer Survivors

This study is testing if an online compassion training program can help reduce depression and anxiety in breast cancer survivors and their caregivers when they do it together compared to doing it alone or just receiving health education.

Quick facts

• Phase: PHASE2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 452 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: University of Arizona (other)
• Drugs / interventions: trastuzumab, chemotherapy, radiation
• Locations: 1 site (Tucson, Arizona)
• Trial ID: NCT05676255 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This project aims to reduce depression and anxiety in breast cancer survivors through an online compassion meditation intervention called Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT). The study will compare the effectiveness of CBCT delivered to survivors alongside their caregivers versus survivors receiving CBCT alone or an attention control group receiving health education. The research will involve dyads of breast cancer survivors and their supportive partners, assessing their mental health outcomes over several months. The goal is to determine the best approach to alleviate psychological distress in this population.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates include women who are breast cancer survivors, between 3 months and 5 years post-treatment, and have a supportive partner who can participate.

Not a fit: Patients who are nursing home residents or have significant prior meditation experience may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this intervention could significantly improve the mental health and quality of life for breast cancer survivors and their caregivers.

How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have shown promising results for similar interventions in reducing psychological distress among cancer survivors, suggesting potential for success in this approach.

Eligibility criteria

Breast cancer survivors:

Inclusion Criteria:

* biological sex: woman
* able to speak and understand English
* have a diagnosis of a breast cancer
* have completed primary curative cancer treatments (i.e., surgery, radiation, chemotherapy) except for hormonal therapies (e.g., aromatase inhibitors) or trastuzumab a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 5 years before starting CBCT or the control
* have a supportive partner (aka caregiver) who can participate with them

Exclusion Criteria:

* nursing home resident
* have ongoing (1 or more meditation sessions per week) or past regular meditation experience in the last 4 years (i.e., more than two meditation sessions \[completed or attempted\] per year, either with a group or individually, to be evaluated by the Principal Investigator)

Supportive partners (aka informal caregivers)

Inclusion Criteria:

* named by the survivor
* live in the same household as the survivor
* able to speak and understand English

Exclusion Criteria:

* have ongoing (1 or more meditation sessions per week) or past regular meditation experience in the last 4 years (i.e., more than two meditation sessions \[completed or attempted\] per year, either with a group or individually, to be evaluated by the Principal Investigator)

Where this trial is running

Tucson, Arizona

• University of Arizona — Tucson, Arizona, United States (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Thaddeus Pace, PhD — University of Arizona
• Study coordinator: Tausif Chowdhury

Conditions: Breast Cancer Female, Psychological Distress