Cancer and Mild Cognitive Impairment Dyadic Intervention

A Patient-Caregiver Behavioral Intervention for Older Adults With Cancer and Mild Cognitive Impairment-2

The purpose of this study is to see whether programs that include both a patient and their spouse or a patient and family caregiver (known as a dyad) are helpful for families in which one member of the dyad has cancer and mild memory difficulties and/or concerns. Participant and their spouse or participant and their family caregiver will have six, 60-minute video-conference sessions which will be scheduled at their convenience. The investigator will loan participants a tablet computer (iPad) to use for videoconferencing and train the participant in its use. Participant and their spouse or participant and their family caregiver will complete three assessments - one before starting the sessions, one after the sixth session, and one after 1 month. Each assessment will include surveys, which the participant will complete separately from their spouse or family caregiver. For most people, it will take upwards of 2 - 4 months to complete this study

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Cancer; Cognitive Impairment
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Behavioral: COPE +

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Katherine Ramos, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 9194163434; Email: Katherine.Ramos@duke.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Kaylee Faircloth; Phone Number: 9194163479; Email: Kaylee.Faircloth@duke.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705
      • Recruiting
      • Duke University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 100 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Patient inclusion criteria include:

1. Patients with Stage I-IV breast, gastrointestinal (GI), genitourinary (GU), or lung cancer (including extensive stage small cell lung cancer), diagnosed within two years; age 65 or older.
2. Participants must be living at home (either in her/his own home).
3. Participants must be fluent in English and able to learn basic skills for using a tablet computer to conduct videoconference treatment sessions.
4. Exhibit Mild Cognitive Impairment/Concerns
5. Have an informal family caregiver.

Inclusion Criteria:

(Partner or family member) inclusion criteria include:

1. Caregivers are 18 older.
2. Be fluent in English and able to learn basic skills for using a tablet computer to conduct videoconference treatment sessions.
3. Either co-reside with the patient or spend at least 3-4 hours day caregiving.
4. Not exhibit cognitive impairment.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Participant has visual or hearing impairments that preclude participation.
2. Participant has dementia and do not have the capacity to participate.
3. Have a serious untreated psychiatric illness as documented in medical chart review.
4. The patient and the caregiver score less than a 3 on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress Thermometer (DT) on a scale 0 to 10 to screen for distress. At least one dyad member must experience distress.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Patient Caregiver Dyad; Participants who are 65 years or older with cancer and mild cognitive impairment with their caregiver.	Behavioral: Behavioral: COPE +; Six sixty minute sessions that teaches participants distress and communication coping skills.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of completed sessions as measured by enrollment log		Up to 17 Weeks
Number of participants who are satisfied with the intervention as measured by a score of 24 or greater on the CSQ-8	The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) is a self report measure of satisfaction with health and behavioral services received. The CSQ-8 is measured on a four point Likert scale from 1 "Quite Dissatisfied" to 4 "Very Satisfied." Scores range from 8-32, with higher values indicating higher satisfaction	Up to 17 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Distress as measured by the DASS-21	The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) measure will be used for rating general distress across three emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress. The measure has a total of 21 items. Scores range from 0- 63, with higher scores indicating greater distress.	Baseline, up to 17 weeks, up to 1 month follow up
Change in Quality of Life as measured by the FACT-G	The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy: General (FACT-G) measure will be used for rating quality of life. The measure has a total of 27 items. Scores range from 0-108, with higher scores indicating greater quality of life.	Baseline, up to 17 weeks, up to 1 month follow up
Change in Communication Patterns as measured by the CPQ-SF	The Communication Patterns Questionnaire Short-Form (CPQ-SF) will be used for rating communication patterns in a relationship. The measure has a total of 11 items. Scores range from 11-99, higher scores indicate a greater likelihood of using a particular communication pattern during conflict interactions.	Baseline, up to 17 weeks, up to 1 month follow up
Change in Relationship Satisfaction as measured by the Mutuality Scale of the Family Care Inventory	The Mutuality Scale of the Family Care Inventory will be used for rating mutual concerns and overall relationship satisfaction. The measure consists of 15 items. Scores range from 0-60, higher scores indicate greater relationship satisfaction	Baseline, up to 17 weeks, up to 1 month follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Duke University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Katherine Ramos, Ph.D., Duke University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 30, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 22, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 22, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): December 3, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 10, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 9, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Mental Health; Aging; Behavioral Intervention; Communication
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurocognitive Disorders; Cognition Disorders; Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; Neoplasms; Cognitive Dysfunction; Psychological Well-Being; Communication
• Other Study ID Numbers: Pro00109148

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No