An Informational and Supportive Care Intervention for Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

Purpose

The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a randomized trial of a brief psychoeducational intervention versus enhanced usual care for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who are initiating neoadjuvant multimodality treatment.

Conditions

  • Rectal Cancer
  • Self Efficacy

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Age≄18 years 2. Within 8 weeks after documented decision to pursue multi-modality therapy for newly diagnosed LARC (i.e., stage II or III disease) 3. Able to complete study procedures English or with the assistance of an interpreter

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Comorbid health condition that would interfere with study participation, as identified by cancer care team 2. Has undergone treatment for a prior colorectal cancer

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description
Participants will be randomized to either the intervention or enhanced usual care. Randomization will be stratified by treatment sequence (e.g., chemotherapy first vs. concurrent chemoradiation first).
Primary Purpose
Supportive Care
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Study Phase I: PATHWAYS Intervention
Participants assigned to the PATHWAYS Intervention will receive: 1) four coaching sessions, 2) a comprehensive patient education guidebook, and 3) a coaching session workbook.
  • Behavioral: PATHWAYS
    The PATHWAYS intervention is a psychoeducational intervention comprised of four behavioral coaching sessions and a patient education guidebook.
Active Comparator
Study Phase I: Enhanced Usual Care
Participants assigned to the enhanced usual care will receive: 1) an information resource guide for navigating information online.
  • Other: Enhanced usual care
    The enhanced usual care condition consists of an information resource guide.
Experimental
Study Phase II: PATHWAYS Intervention
Participants assigned to the PATHWAYS Intervention will receive: 1) four coaching sessions and 2) a comprehensive patient education guidebook. The intervention has been modified and refined based on feedback from Study Phase I.
  • Behavioral: PATHWAYS
    The PATHWAYS intervention is a psychoeducational intervention comprised of four behavioral coaching sessions and a patient education guidebook.
Active Comparator
Study Phase II: Enhanced Usual Care
Participants assigned to the enhanced usual care will receive: 1) an information resource guide for navigating information online.
  • Other: Enhanced usual care
    The enhanced usual care condition consists of an information resource guide.

Recruiting Locations

Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts 02114
Contact:
Kelsey Lau-Min, MD, MSCE
617-724-4000
klau-min@mgh.harvard.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Massachusetts General Hospital

Study Contact

Kelsey Lau-Min, MD, MSCE
617-724-4000
klau-min@mgh.harvard.edu

Detailed Description

This is a randomized controlled trial that is split into two phases. Study Phase I tested the feasibility and acceptability of a study evaluating a psychoeducational intervention relative to a control condition for improving self-efficacy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer initiating multimodality treatment. This phase enrolled 20 participants. Study Part 2 was initially planned as an adequately powered RCT to evaluate intervention efficacy for enhancing patient self-efficacy for managing treatment-related challenges and maintaining quality of life. Due to the substantial refinements that were made to the PATHWAYS intervention and study procedures after Study Part 1, we have elected to change Study Part 2 to a second pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the refined PATHWAYS study among a larger group of patients (n=60). Participants in the intervention arm will be invited to receive the PATHWAYS intervention, including 4 coaching sessions with a study clinician focused on information and support related to multimodality treatment for LARC. Participants in the control arm will receive an information resource guide that is tailored for patients with LARC. It is expected that about 80 people will take part in this research study.