Study of the Life Stories of Patients Making a Request for Euthanasia, in the Context of Advanced Cancer. (RECIFE)

This study wishes to focus on the life course of patients, beyond the moments of suffering experienced at the time of the request for euthanasia. It is based on the perspective that the patient's account of his or her life course can be a source of information for better understanding and accompanying patients requesting euthanasia.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Advanced Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: free interview, and questionnaires in a second time

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 7

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Lyon, France, 69008
    • Centre Léon Bérard

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

We conduct our study in a French cancer center and a French public hospital. Patients requesting euthanasia will be informed about the possibility of participating in our study. If the patients agree, and if they meet the study criteria, they will be included.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Major patients
• With cancer in the palliative phase, i.e. with an incurable disease according to current knowledge.
• Expressing a request for euthanasia in terms evoking a request for death with the intervention of an outside person.
• Non-opposition to the study after full written information.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe decompensated psychiatric pathology
• Vulnerable persons defined here as pregnant women, parturients and persons under legal protection or unable to express their consent
• Inability to conduct an interview

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Description of the life stories of patients requesting euthanasia to explore which life experiences are brought forward when making this request, in a context of advanced oncological pathology.	The main objective is to describe the life stories of patients requesting euthanasia in order to discover which life experiences are reasoning in the formulation of this request, in a context of advanced oncological pathology. The investigators carry out a descriptive analysis of the interviews. The interviews will be analyzed as they are conducted, in order to identify themes of interest. The themes will be compared between the different interviews in order to identify possible trends.	One month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Calculation of the Bartholomew score	Use of specific questionnaire (Relationship Scales Questionnaire of Batholomew) to describe the profiles of the patients in the study	One month
Calculation of the distress thermometer's score	Use of specific questionnaire (NCCN distress thermometer) to describe the profiles of the patients in the study	One month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Centre Leon Berard

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): July 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 9, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 22, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): June 1, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 16, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 11, 2025
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cancer; Euthanasia
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: ET22000324

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

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