Health Benefits of Writing Therapy Among Asian American Cancer Survivors

To learn more about participant experience as a Asian American immigrant breast cancer survivor and how writing about participant experiences may affect participant's health.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Questionnaires; Behavioral: Esays

Detailed Description

Primary Objective:

To determine the effects of writing therapy on QOL and perceived stress at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups.

Secondary Objective:

To discover the effects of writing therapy on stress biomarkers and perceived stress at the 3-month follow-up.

To explore the psychosocial and cultural mechanisms responsible for the benefits of writing therapy by using mixed methods.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 192
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Qian Lu, MD, PHD; Phone Number: (713) 745-8324; Email: qlu@mdanderson.org

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Recruiting
      • MD Anderson Cancer Center
      • Contact: Qian Lu, MD, PHD; Phone Number: 713-745-8324; Email: qlu@mdanderson.org
      • Principal Investigator: Qian Lu, MD, PHD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult (aged 18 and older) diagnosed with stage 0-III cancer (or acute leukemia in remission/ chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase).
• Self-identified as Asian, Asian Americans, any Asian or Asian American subgroup (Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Korean, etc.) ethnic/cultural background
• Completed primary treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy within the preceding 5 years.
• Comfortable reading in English or in Chinese.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Inability to provide informed consent.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Control condition; Participants will be asked to write about facts regarding their cancer diagnosis and treatment in writing sessions.	Behavioral: Questionnaires; Participants will answer a questionnaire at the beginning of the study and then 3, 6, and 12 months later. Participants will also answer a questionnaire about their thoughts on writing and on the study after they complete the third essay.; Behavioral: Esays; Participants will write about their experiences One (1) time each week for 3 weeks at the beginning of the study and then 1 more time 9 months later. Participants will be asked to write about their experiences with cancer in English or Chinese and to write as much as they can for about 20-30 minutes for each essay.
Experimental: Intervention Condition; Participants will be asked to write about different topics regarding their cancer experience. During session 1, participants will be asked to write about the stress of having cancer and their strategies for coping with stressors associated with their cancer (i.e., stress and coping). During session 2, participants will be asked to write about their deepest feelings regarding their cancer experience (i.e., emotional disclosure). During session 3 and the booster session (at 9-month follow-up), participants will be asked to write about positive thoughts and feelings regarding their experience with cancer.	Behavioral: Questionnaires; Participants will answer a questionnaire at the beginning of the study and then 3, 6, and 12 months later. Participants will also answer a questionnaire about their thoughts on writing and on the study after they complete the third essay.; Behavioral: Esays; Participants will write about their experiences One (1) time each week for 3 weeks at the beginning of the study and then 1 more time 9 months later. Participants will be asked to write about their experiences with cancer in English or Chinese and to write as much as they can for about 20-30 minutes for each essay.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Primary Outcome Measure: Incidence of Adverse Events, Graded According to National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE) Version (v) 5.0	Time Frame: through study completion; an average of 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Qian Lu, MD, PHD, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• MD Anderson Cancer Center Website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 27, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 11, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 11, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): April 16, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 30, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 23, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Investigative Techniques; Epidemiologic Methods; Data Collection; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Public Health; Environment and Public Health; Surveys and Questionnaires
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2021-0324; NCI-2024-02939 (Other Identifier: NCI-CTRP Clinical Trials Registry)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No