Meditation Therapy in Improving Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Patients With Psychosocial Distress

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Malignant Neoplasm; Depression; Anxiety

Treatments: Procedure: Supportive Care; Procedure: Meditation Therapy; Other: Interview; Procedure: Quality-of-Life Assessment

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT02988271

P30CA016672 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

NCI-2018-01295 (Registry Identifier)

2016-0491 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This trial studies how well self-administered meditation therapy works in improving anxiety and depression in cancer patients who exhibit psychosocial distress. Meditation therapy is a mind-body approach that uses a variety of techniques, such as deep breathing, sound, or movement, that may help to decrease distress and anxiety and enhance the health and quality of life of patients with cancer.

Full description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine the feasibility of having patients self-administer meditation recordings using a portable, computer-based program during a 2-week period.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Assess the effect of self-administered meditation on anxiety, depression and other symptoms that are part of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) questionnaire.

II. Evaluate participant satisfaction with the meditation delivery and tracking program.

III. Examine the association between the frequency of practice (number of sessions a day) and choice of length of practice (5, 10, or 15 minute sessions) and anxiety, depression and other patient reported outcomes.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 groups.

GROUP I (MEDITATION): Patients watch a pre-recorded instructional meditation video via an iPod meditation app. Patients then complete meditation exercises using the meditation app over 5-15 minutes once daily (QD) for up to 2 weeks. Patients also complete questionnaires before and after meditation sessions and participate in an interview over 10 minutes.

GROUP II (WAITLIST CONTROL): Patients receive supportive care, such as access to social workers, support groups, spiritual care, or other patient services for up to 2 weeks. Patients also complete questionnaires over 15-20 minutes and participate in an interview over 10 minutes.

Enrollment: 35 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients at MD Anderson with a cancer history who are either undergoing active treatment or who have completed treatment for their cancer
• Must understand and read English, sign a written informed consent, and follow protocol requirements
• Willing to come to MD Anderson Main Campus (Texas Medical Center) for enrollment
• Patient self-reported ESAS psychological scale score (sum of anxiety and depression scores) between 4 and 11 (and/or) individual anxiety or depression score between 4 and 7 on a 0 to 10 numeric scale, where 10 is the worst possible
• If on medication for anxiety, stable dose of medications for management of anxiety symptoms for at least six weeks prior to enrollment with no plans to change meditations in the subsequent four weeks. Increases or decreases allowed within drug class, but changing drug class will make patient in-evaluable

Exclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of a formal thought disorder (e.g., schizophrenia)
• Known history of a neurological and/or psychological disorder that in the physician's opinion may interfere with the patient's ability to cooperate with study procedures

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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35 participants in 2 patient groups

Group I (meditation)

Experimental group

Description:

Patients watch a pre-recorded instructional meditation video via an iPod meditation app. Patients then complete meditation exercises using the meditation app over 5-15 minutes QD for up to 2 weeks. Patients also complete questionnaires before and after meditation sessions and participate in an interview over 10 minutes.

Treatment:

Procedure: Quality-of-Life Assessment

Other: Interview

Procedure: Meditation Therapy

Group II (waitlist control)

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patients receive supportive care, such as access to social workers, support groups, spiritual care, or other patient services for up to 2 weeks. Patients also complete questionnaires over 15-20 minutes and participate in an interview over 10 minutes.

Treatment:

Procedure: Quality-of-Life Assessment

Other: Interview

Procedure: Supportive Care