Internet-Delivered Psychological Treatment for Cancer Survivors

Launched by KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET · Sep 13, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring how effective internet-based psychological treatments are for cancer survivors who are experiencing anxiety and depression. Many people who have survived cancer struggle with mental health issues, but they often don’t receive the help they need. In this study, 400 cancer survivors will participate in a 10-week online program guided by therapists. The goal is to find out which parts of the treatment are most helpful for improving their mental health.

To join the study, participants must be at least 18 years old, live in certain regions of Sweden, and have been cancer-free for at least six months. They should also be experiencing significant anxiety or depression, as measured by specific questionnaires. However, individuals with severe mental health issues or those undergoing other treatments that could interfere with the study won’t be eligible. Participants will need a device to access the online program and should be comfortable using technology. This trial aims to help improve the support available for cancer survivors dealing with psychological challenges.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Cancer survivor at least 0.5 years after main therapy
• • Clinically significant anxiety or depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9 \[PHQ-9\]≥10, or Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 \[GAD-7\]≥8, or 9-item Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory \[FCRI-9\]≥16)
• • At least 18 years old
• • Resident of Region Stockholms, Västra Götalandsregionen, or Region Skåne, Sweden (listed and de facto)
• • Sufficient technical knowledge and knowledge of the Swedish language to take part in a text-based online treatment
• • Continuous access to an electronic device that can be used to access the study web platform
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Recurrent thoughts of suicide, as based on clinical judgement aided by the structured interview and the self-report version of the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S) item 9
• • Severe medical condition (e.g., very poor prognosis, stage IV cancer), severe psychiatric disorder (e.g., psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or severely debilitating substance use disorder, severe depression), or medical treatment (e.g., chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy) that makes the treatment unfeasible
• • Other ongoing psychological treatment
• • Continuous psychotropic medication not stable for the past 4 weeks, or not expected to remain stable during the treatment period
• • Planned absence for more than one week of the intended treatment period
• • No complete the pre-treatment assessment