Complementary Behavioral Interventions To Remediate Cognitive Impairment or Emotional Distress in Cancer Survivors

Launched by ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL · May 16, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how two different types of programs can help adult survivors of childhood cancer who may be experiencing problems with thinking or emotional distress. Specifically, the study will focus on whether combining exercise with cognitive training (a way to improve thinking skills) or exercise with mindfulness practice (a technique for reducing stress) can be beneficial. The goal is to see if participants will find it acceptable to take part in these combined programs over a 12-week period and if they will complete follow-up tests afterward.

To be eligible for this trial, participants must be at least 18 years old, have previously been part of the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort study, and show signs of physical, cognitive, or emotional challenges. Participants should also not be very active currently, meaning they exercise less than 150 minutes a week. Those who join can expect to engage in both exercise and one of the two intervention techniques while attending sessions regularly. Importantly, the trial aims to understand what helps or hinders participants in sticking to their programs, which will help improve future support for survivors like them.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Participants enrolled in St. Jude Lifetime Cohort (SJLIFE) \>18 years of age.
• • Participant has been pre-identified as both physically impaired (T score ≤45 on the physical function and/or role physical subscales of the Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form 36 (SF-36)), and either cognitively (standard score \>84th percentile on the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Neurocognitive Questionnaire) or emotionally impaired (T scored score ≥ 63 on the Brief Symptom Inventory) from the most recently completed SJLIFE survey questionnaires.
• • Participant self-reports participating in \<150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week (Centers for Disease Control Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans).
• • Participant has been medically cleared to participate in physical activity.
• • Participant verbalizing understanding of the directions to use the digital platform on provided laptop/tablet.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Participant cannot speak, read, and/or understand English.
• • Participant is a woman and currently pregnant.
• • Participant reports engaging in mindfulness-based training or continuously practiced mindfulness techniques over the past 6 weeks.
• • Participant has an estimated intelligence score (FSIQ) \<80.
• • Participant has a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, major psychiatric condition, and/or history of suicidal ideation or self-harm.
• • Participant reports alcohol or drug abuse in the past year (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) \>=13/women and \>=15/men or Drug Abuse Screen Test (DAST) -10\>3).