Mindfulness for People With Incurable Cancer

Lancaster University3 enrolled

Overview

The study will investigate whether a mindfulness course can help people with incurable cancer who are seen by oncologists in a particular National Health Service Hospital Trust in the United Kingdom.

It can be hard to come to terms with living with a life limiting condition such as incurable cancer and individuals are at risk of experiencing high levels of psychological distress, which can often be overlooked when the focus is on managing physical symptoms. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to be helpful in reducing distress for people with cancer generally. This pilot study will use an established mindfulness programme called mindfulness for health with people with cancer which is incurable to see if this type of intervention is acceptable and useful for this group of people.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Cancer

Interventions

Mindfulness for healthBEHAVIORAL

A course of mindfulness using the mindfulness for health programme.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Deemed by the oncologist to have incurable cancer * Patient of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust * Treated by an oncologist * Believe they are able to commit to attending most of the mindfulness course sessions * Oncologist assesses they are well enough to participate in the intervention Exclusion Criteria: * Having any other condition or difficulty which the medical team thinks would compromise their participation in the study.

Locations (1)

Royal Lancaster Infirmary

Lancaster, United Kingdom

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Acceptability and usefulness of intervention for participants

This will be a qualitative outcome, collected via semi-structured interview

Time frame: Within 4 weeks of the end of the intervention

Secondary Outcomes

Acceptability and usefulness of intervention for participants- 3 months

This will be a qualitative outcome, collected via semi-structured interview

Time frame: 3 months following completion of the intervention

Change in depression anxiety and stress

Using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS21) scale we will measure the change post intervention score - pre intervention score. Each subscale (depression, anxiety and stress) ranges from 0-21, with higher scores indicating higher distress. A greater decrease in scores, would mean a greater improvement in symptoms.

Time frame: Collected before the intervention (up to 4 weeks before the intervention) and within 4 weeks of the end of the intervention

Change in depression anxiety and stress-3 months

Time frame: Collected before the intervention (up to 4 weeks before the intervention) and 3 months after the end of the intervention

Change in mindfulness

Using the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire we will measure pre-post change scores.

Time frame: Collected before the intervention (up to 4 weeks before the intervention) and within 4 weeks of the end of the intervention

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.