Identifying and Measuring Depression in Older Cancer Patients

April 1, 2026 updated by: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
The purpose of this study is to develop an accurate and useful way of measuring older patients' moods and reactions to the combined issue of cancer treatment and aging. Also, the purpose of this study is to test a new self-report measure of depressive symptoms tailored to the needs of older adults with cancer. Findings from this research will help us develop improved methods of diagnosis and treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
329

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Rebecca Saracino, MD,PhD
  • Phone Number: 646-888-0263

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Christian Nelson, PhD
  • Phone Number: 646-888-0030

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10065
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

70 years and older (Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

For all Phases, patients who are identified as eligible will be approached in-person in the outpatient clinics or the MSK Counseling Center by members of the research staff, or by letter (physical or electronic).

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

For Patients in Phases 1- 3:

  • Current or previous cancer diagnosis and treatment (any site and any stage)
  • All Phases 1,2,3- 70 years of age or older
  • For Phase 1b only; 50 participants ages 50-69 will also be recruited
  • For Phase 2 only: As per medical record or self report, history of Depression, Dysthymia, or Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood

  • For Phase 3 depressive subset: As per medical record or self report, a history of depressive symptoms such as

    • Adjustment Disorder with depressed mood
    • Adjustment Disorder with mixed depressed mood and anxiety
    • Mood disorder (i.e., due to general medical condition, Not Otherwise Specified)
    • Depressive Disorder (i.e., Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) single episode, MDD recurrent, Depressive disorder not otherwise specified, Dysthymia)
  • In the judgment of the consenting professional able to communicate, comprehend, and complete questionnaires in English

Exclusion Criteria:

For Patients in Parts 1- 3:

  • In the judgment of the consenting professional and/or as per medical record, severe psychopathology or cognitive impairment likely to interfere with the participation or completion of the protocol or ability to provide meaningful information.
  • For Phase 1&2 only: Score of > 11 on the Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration Scale (BOMC)
  • For Part 2 only: As per medical record or self report, a diagnosis of a Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder, current substance use disorder, Bipolar Disorder or Schizotypal personality disorder. Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders include Schizophrenia, Schizophreniform disorder, Schizoaffective disorder, Delusional disorder, Brief psychotic disorder, Attenuated Psychotic Disorder, and Adjustment Disorder (except for Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Cancer Patients
This protocol aims to design, develop and pilot test a psychometric assessment for depression in older cancer patients. The study is divided in three phases. In Phase 1, approximately 15 depressed patients (as determined clinically) and approximately 15 non-depressed patients will undergo individual interviews. In Phase 2, the team will use the themes and subthemes obtained in Phase 1 to write a set of indicators into questionnaire form. In Phase 3, the newly developed questionnaire will be given to a sample of approximately 150 cancer patients who meet the eligibility criteria. Survey results obtained from this sample of 150 patients will be used to assess internal consistency, conduct item analysis, and determine the unique content of the proposed instrument.
Behavioral: Patient Interviews
participate in a brief interview
Behavioral: newly developed questionnaire
10-16 patients will review draft items and participate in a cognitive interview. 15 older patients will complete the draft measure in order to generate preliminary psychometric data. All interviews will be audio recorded and transcribed by Ubiqus Transcription Company. The audio recordings are uploaded through Ubiqus's secure server and the transcribed audio is returned to the research staff within 48 hours.
Behavioral: Pilot Testing the Draft Measure
The draft measure (approximately 35 items, described above) will be administered to a large sample of older cancer patients (n=150) to generate data to evaluate preliminary psychometric properties (item properties including measures of central tendency, skewness/kurtosis, internal consistency, test/re-test reliability, and construct validity (i.e, convergent and discriminant).and known group differences) to further winnow the measure to include approximately 20 items.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
develope psychometric assessment of a self report measure of depression
Time Frame: 2 years
This protocol aims to design, develop and pilot test a psychometric assessment for depression in older cancer patients.
2 years
identify differences in item endorsement between younger and older cancer patients on existing depression measures.
Time Frame: 1 year
These participants will be asked to complete several existing depression measures.
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Fordham University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Rebecca Saracino, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 20, 2014

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 20, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 24, 2014

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 25, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 1, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 14-101

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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