EMDR Integrative Group Protocol and Individual Treatment for Patients With Cancer: A Pilot Study

March 2, 2026 updated by: Cesare Cavalera, Università Cattolica di Milano

Combination of the EMDR Integrative Group Protocol and Individual EMDR Treatment in Patients With Advanced Thyroid Cancer: A Pilot Study

The main aim of the present process-outcome study is to evaluate the feasibility and the effects of an EMDR-IGTP-OTS group intervention on a sample of people with cancer, by using a process-outcome study design, with repeated measures.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The diagnosis of cancer represents a potentially life-threatening event that can be considered a unique traumatic stressor. A cancer diagnosis can disrupt a person's life, affecting emotions, cognition, and physical pain impacting the individual sense of identity. Findings from the literature suggest that EMDR can be a valid treatment in the processing of cancer-related traumatic events. With this proposal, the investigators aim to evaluate the feasibility and the effects of a combined EMDR Integrative Group Treatment Protocol and an optional EMDR individual protocol for people with cancer.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

25

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Italy
      • Milan, Italy, 20123
        • Recruiting
        • Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
        • Contact:

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • cancer diagnosis
  • PTSD (IES-R > 32)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • receiving specialized trauma therapy
  • receiving current psychiatric pharmacological treatment, unless the dosage has been stable for at least 2 months prior to enrollment

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: EMDR Treatment Group
Participants receive an integrated EMDR intervention consisting of the EMDR Integrative Group Protocol (IGTP-OTS) followed by additional individual EMDR sessions when needed. The treatment focuses on processing traumatic memories related to personal experiences cancer-related.
Behavioral: EMDR-IGTP-OTS
The intervention follows the EMDR 8-phase protocol as indicated by Jarero et al. (2018). The group sessions use the IGTP-OTS (Integrative Group Treatment Protocol for Ongoing Traumatic Stress) to provide early stabilization.
Other Names:
  • EMDR (classic individual setting)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R)
Time Frame: Baseline (T1) and Post-intervention (T2, approximately 1 month), Follow-up (T3, approximately 3 month)

Impact of Event Scale-Revised range: The scale is composed by 22 items, each scored 0-4 (Min Score: 0; Max Score: 88).

A higher score indicates a higher intensity of post-traumatic stress symptoms
Baseline (T1) and Post-intervention (T2, approximately 1 month), Follow-up (T3, approximately 3 month)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Università Cattolica di Milano

Collaborators

ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Quaranta-Leech, A., Zaporozhets, O., Jarero, I., & Holland, D. (2025). Randomized Controlled Trial on the Provision of the EMDR-IGTP-OTS-R for Reduction of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology with Mental Health Professionals in Ukraine during the War. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 19, 0007.
  • Jarero, I., Artigas, L., Uribe, S., & García, L. E. (2016). The EMDR integrative group treatment protocol for patients with cancer. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 10(3), 199-207.
  • Jarero, I., Givaudan, M., & Osorio, A. (2018). Randomized controlled trial on the provision of the EMDR integrative group treatment protocol adapted for ongoing traumatic stress to female patients with cancer-related posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 12(3), 94-104.

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)

December 5, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 5, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 25, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 2, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CET 435-2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Data, after de-identification, will be shared with researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal and whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Available between 2 months and 1 year following article publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be provided in a de-identified format to ensure participant anonymity in accordance with EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and will be shared to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal and whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • SAP

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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