Squeezing a stress ball during chemotherapy for people with gastrointestinal cancer.
Official title: The Effect of Stress Ball on Anxiety, Fear and Vital Signs in Patients With Gastrointestinal System Cancer
Run by Artvin Coruh University · NCT07383935 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This will test whether squeezing a stress ball during chemotherapy reduces anxiety and helps keep vital signs more stable in adults with gastrointestinal cancer.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 60 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Artvin Coruh University Academic / other |
| Drugs / interventions | chemotherapy |
| Locations | 1 site (Artvin) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | February 3, 2026 |
| Main results expected | February 3, 2027 |
| Study ends | February 3, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | February 11, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07383935 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults (age 18 or older) diagnosed with a gastrointestinal system cancer who are receiving chemotherapy at Artvin State Hospital, can physically squeeze a stress ball, have no communication barriers, and consent to participate.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients who cannot physically squeeze a stress ball, who have significant communication or cognitive impairments, or who do not receive chemotherapy infusions at the study location are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized controlled trial will enroll 60 adults with gastrointestinal cancers receiving chemotherapy and randomly assign them 1:1 to a stress ball intervention or routine care. Patients in the intervention group will squeeze a medium-firm stress ball for 15 minutes at the start of their chemotherapy session while following a guided inhale-squeeze/exhale-release pattern, while the control group receives standard care. Anxiety, fear, and vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and oxygen saturation) will be measured immediately before and after the chemotherapy session. Outcomes will be compared between and within groups to determine whether the stress ball reduces emotional distress and physiological changes during treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this low-cost, non-drug approach could reduce anxiety during chemotherapy and help maintain steadier heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing, improving patient comfort during infusions.
How similar studies have gone: Similar simple distraction and hand-squeeze interventions have shown modest reductions in procedural anxiety in other clinical settings, but direct evidence in gastrointestinal chemotherapy patients is limited.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Being aged 18 years or older * Having a diagnosis of gastrointestinal system cancer and receiving chemotherapy * Having no communication problems * Having no physical disability that would prevent squeezing a stress ball * Willingness to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: \-
Where it's running
-
Artvin State Hospital
Artvin, Turkey (Türkiye) Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Efe Hasdemir Efe Hasdemir, MD
- Email: hasdemir52@gmail.com
- Phone: +90 5433750709
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
Frailty before GI cancer surgery: does frailty predict post-op outcomes in older adults?
This study tests whether frailty measured before surgery can predict complications and recovery in patients 60 and older undergoing elective gastrointestinal cancer surgery.
-
Biological Collection to Help Create Models for Digestive Cancers and IBD
Researchers are gathering tissue and biological samples from patients with inflammatory bowel disease or digestive cancers to build personalized models and test new therapies.
-
Blood extracellular vesicles to detect chemotherapy-related nerve damage.
We will test whether tiny blood particles called extracellular vesicles can predict who will develop chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in adults receiving taxane, platinum, or antimitotic chemotherapy.
-
High-precision detection of leftover cancer using a liquid-biopsy platform (SHERLOCK)
This project will test whether sensitive blood and other fluid tests for circulating tumor DNA can find leftover cancer (minimal residual disease) in adults treated with curative intent for breast, lung, melanoma, gynecologic, or genitourinary cancers.
-
Dabrafenib and trametinib for rare cancers with BRAF V600 mutations
This arm tests whether dabrafenib and trametinib can help adults, children, and teens with cancers that have a BRAF V600 mutation.
-
XH001 with neoantigen vaccine–primed tumor-specific T cells for advanced gastrointestinal cancer
This trial tests whether combining XH001 injections with T cells activated by a tumor neoantigen vaccine is safe and can shrink tumors or extend life in adults with advanced gastrointestinal cancer.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.