Life After Cancer: Behavioral Treatment Study to Improve Quality of Life

Expressive Writing and Adjustment to Colorectal Cancer

The purpose of the study is to find new ways to improve the quality of life of people who have been treated for colon or rectal cancer.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Colorectal Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Expressive writing

Detailed Description

Individuals who take part in the study can expect:

Two Interviews:

• To be interviewed by our research staff over the phone. The interviews will include questions about your current quality of life and health.

Brief Writing in a Journal:

• To write for 15 minutes twice a week for two weeks about aspects of your life.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 193
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19122
      • Temple University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Treated for stage I, II or III colon or rectal cancer in the past 5 years
• Completed surgical treatment
• Must be able to read and write in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of other cancers, with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 1; Writing in a journal 15 minutes a day	Behavioral: Expressive writing; Behavioral intervention using writing about cancer to improve quality of life outcomes
Placebo Comparator: 2; Control Writing in a journal 15 minutes a day	Behavioral: Expressive writing; Behavioral intervention using writing about cancer to improve quality of life outcomes

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Depressive symptoms	self-report depressive symptoms	2-Weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Temple University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Stephen Lepore, Ph.D., Temple University; Principal Investigator: Tracey A Revenson, Ph.D, Graduate College, City University of New York

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Colon Cancer Alliance
• Cancer Information Network

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2005
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2008
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 15, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 15, 2007
• First Posted (Estimate): May 16, 2007

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 2, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 29, 2022
• Last Verified: July 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: colorectal cancer; rectal cancer; colon cancer
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Colonic Diseases; Intestinal Diseases; Intestinal Neoplasms; Rectal Diseases; Colorectal Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1R21CA107428-01A2 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)