Decreasing Long-term Opioid Use in Cancer Survivors

August 17, 2026 updated by: Virginia Commonwealth University

Creating a Pathway for Disease-Free Cancer Survivors to Decrease Long-term Opioid Use

This is a feasibility pilot trial assessing a behavioral intervention for chronic pain among disease-free cancer survivors to decrease long-term opioid dependence.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Suspended

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.

Detailed Description

To assess the feasibility and acceptability of implementing brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for chronic pain (ACT-CP) in a Survivorship clinic.

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.
Interventional

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.
18

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

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.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Virginia
      • Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23219
        • Virginia Commonwealth University

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of cancer of any type, currently in remission, having completed active primary therapy. Patients on oral adjuvant hormone therapy will still be eligible.
  • Completed active therapy must have been curative in intent (for example stage IV cancer patients such as head and neck cancer patients treated with curative intent are eligible).
  • Self-reported cancer pain for >= 3 months
  • Opioid use >= 5MME/day (morphine milligram equivalents) as prescribed by physician for cancer-related pain for at least 6 months beyond completion of their cancer treatment
  • VCUHealth system patient

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of opioid use prior to cancer diagnosis
  • Anyone with prior history of substance use disorder or currently enrolled in a methadone program
  • Anyone with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
  • Current utilization of psychotherapy services for pain, depression, anxiety, and/or PTSD
  • Cognitive concerns that would prevent meaningful engagement in treatment
  • Inability to converse in English
  • Lack of working telephone and Internet connection (must have at least one or the other)
  • Anyone found to have progression of cancer
  • Anyone diagnosed with cancer recurrence or new cancer during their study period
  • Documented diagnosis of or positive screen for current substance use disorder (score >5 on the Drug Abuse Screening Test-10 [DAST-10])
  • Anyone scoring >=8 on ORT indicating very high risk for opioid abuse

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

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
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.
Experimental: Intervention
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain (ACT-CP)
Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for chronic pain (ACT-CP)
Delivered virtually via Zoom or via telephone on an individual level; 30-minute sessions led by a trained psychologist and occur weekly for 6 weeks.

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
Recruitment yield of participants contacted
Time Frame: 12 Months
Study feasibility will be assessed by tracking the number of patients contacted
12 Months
Recruitment yield of participants consented
Time Frame: 12 Months
Study feasibility will be assessed by tracking the number of participants that consent to enroll in the trial.
12 Months
Recruitment yield number of participants enrolled
Time Frame: 12 Months
Study feasibility will be assessed by recruitment yield, i.e., tracking the number of participants who initiated treatment.
12 Months
Session Attendance
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
Study feasibility will be assessed by tracking the number of participants attend each intervention session over the course of the 6-week intervention period.
6 Weeks
Participant Satisfaction
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
Study acceptability will be assessed by administering a post-intervention satisfaction survey which asks about satisfaction with the program including perceived efficacy and suggestions for improvement.
6 Weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
Preliminary efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain (ACT-CP) will be assessed by analyzing change in self-reported pain scores using The Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System short form 3a v1.0 (PROMIS). This tool measures how much a person hurts.
6 Weeks
Opioid Use Frequency
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
Preliminary efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain (ACT-CP) will be assessed by self-reported opioid use frequency weekly throughout the intervention period.
6 Weeks
Pain interference
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
Preliminary efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain (ACT-CP) will be assessed by analyzing pain interference using the PROMIS short form 8a. The PROMIS Pain Interference instrument measures the self-reported consequences of pain on relevant aspects of a person's life and may include the extent to which pain hinders engagement with social, cognitive, emotional, physical, and recreational activities.
6 Weeks
Opioid Refill Frequency
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
Frequency of opioid refills will be assessed via pharmacy records available in patients' EMR
6 Weeks

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.
Virginia Commonwealth 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: Susan Hong, MD, MPH, Virginia Commonwealth University

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.
December 20, 2021

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.
March 30, 2028

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.
March 30, 2028

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).
September 16, 2021

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.
October 4, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

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.
October 5, 2021

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.
August 18, 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.
August 17, 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.
August 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.
  • MCC-21-18366

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

There is no plan to share individual participant data at this time

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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