Clinical Research Directory

Writing Intervention With Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer

Young people with cancer have difficult experiences and writing exercises may help improve their well-being. However, very few studies have examined how a creative writing activity might be useful for young people with cancer. In this pilot study, researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital hope to explore whether teenagers and young adults with cancer want to participate in a writing exercise and whether they find it to be valuable. Primary Objective To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a writing-based narrative medicine intervention for adolescent and young adult patients with cancer.

Food: A Three-Arm Study Examining Food Insecurity Interventions

The investigators have found that many patients getting treatment for cancer have trouble getting enough to eat, or do not always have enough money for food. When a patient has these problems it can lead to difficulties with completing cancer treatment. Across New York City, there are many hospitals that offer their patients food pantry services on location. The investigators would like to compare how food pantries within the hospital and two other food assistance options: monthly food vouchers and weekly grocery deliveries maybe possible solutions to this problem. The patient will be randomly assigned to one of the three different food program groups, which means everyone has an equal chance in being in any group, like a flip of a coin. The investigators hope to learn how to best help patients with trouble getting food and to see if this will help with completing cancer treatment. The original RCT composed of study arms: 1) hospital -based food pantry (control), 2) food voucher program plus access to the food pantry, and 3) grocery delivery program plus access to the food pantry will remain open to accrual at Ralph Lauren Cancer Center. The other three sites of the original RCT, Lincoln Hospital, Queens Cancer Center and Brooklyn Hospital, have reached target accrual. Our modified RCT, to be carried out among an expanded cohort of cancer patients is composed of study arms : 1) Food Voucher Program (Voucher); 2) Home Grocery Delivery Program (Delivery); and 3) Medically-tailored, Hospital-based Food Pantry (Pantry). For this RCT, we will enroll patients across Bronx hospitals- Jacobi Medical Center, St. Barnabas Hospital, and Montefiore Medical Center. For the new study arms, we will enroll patients across Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Jacobi Medical Center, St. Barnabas Medical Center, Montefiore Health System, New York Cancer \& Blood Before Specialists, and Bellevue Hospital. Before conducting the RCT across Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center and the new sites in the Bronx, we will refine written educational materials to be used in the intervention through focus groups.

A Study of an Anxiety Intervention for Latino/Latina/Hispanic Older Adults With Cancer and Their Caregivers

The purpose of this study is to find out if an anxiety treatment program is practical and effective for Latino older adults with cancer (OACs) and their caregivers.

A Study Testing Topical Pain-Relieving Herbal Plasters in People Who Are Using Opioids for Their Pain

The are doing this study to find out whether using topical (on the skin) herbal plasters, Tibetree pain- relieving plasters (PRPs), can be an effective addition to standard opioid therapy for pain management. The researchers will look at whether the Tibetree PRPs are a practical (feasible) and effective way of managing localized pain (pain that is limited to a certain area) in people who are currently taking opioids. Participants in this study will have cancer or have had it in the past.

Use of a Comprehensive, Mobile Application to Assist Cancer Patients With Diet, Nutrition and Activity

The overarching purpose of this study is to assess whether patients will use the app throughout treatment on a regular basis, as the ultimate goal is to provide an educational platform that can impact patient behaviors and understanding towards health.

Impact of ICCAN on Cancer Treatment Completion and Quality of Life

The purpose of this 1 year study is to see if the ICCAN program is working, and to compare the ICCAN program to the standard hospital services provided in New York City hospitals, like meeting with a Social Worker or a Patient Navigator (a person who provides personal hospital guidance).

Bright IDEAS - Young Adults Problem-Solving Skills Training

The purpose of this project is to evaluate efficacy of Bright IDEAS, an evidence-based problem-solving skills training (PSST) program, as a supportive care intervention for young adult (YA) cancer patients compared with enhanced usual psychosocial care with 344 young adult patients newly diagnosed with cancer.

A Study Comparing Two Types of Supportive Interventions for Caregivers of Patients With Cancer

The purpose of this study is to compare two types of therapy for caregivers of cancer patients: Emotion Regulation Therapy for Cancer Caregivers (ERT-C) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-C). The researchers want to see if ERT-C is better than, the same as, or worse than traditional CBT-C at improving caregiver distress. The researchers will look at how the two types of therapy affect caregivers' anxiety, depression, and quality of life. The researchers will also see how ERT-C and CBT-C affect hormone and stress levels in caregivers' saliva samples. In addition, this trial will enroll cancer patients in this study to see how their caregivers' participation in ERT-C or CBT may affect the patients' quality of life, stress, and use of healthcare services. Participants who become bereaved while on study will be given the option to withdraw or remain on study. Assessments for bereaved caregivers will not include the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer (CQOLC) or the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA).

Prospective Cohort of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-induced Hepatitis

Background and Study Rationale Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are a breakthrough cancer treatment that boosts the immune system to fight tumors. While effective, they can cause immune-related side effects, including liver inflammation (ICI-induced hepatitis or CHILI), which affects up to 25% of patients. Severe cases requiring treatment discontinuation are rare but challenging to manage. Study Objective This multicenter prospective study aims to better understand CHILI, its clinical patterns, treatment response, and risk of recurrence. It will focus on different types of liver injury (cholestatic, hepatocellular, or mixed) to guide better treatment decisions. Innovation and Approach Currently, there is no clear consensus on how to manage CHILI or when to safely restart immunotherapy. This study will collect real-world data from adult patients treated with ICIs, following international guidelines or a pragmatic approach when no consensus exists. Findings will help improve care strategies for patients experiencing ICI-related liver toxicity.

Bilateral Ultrasound Guided Intramuscular Quadratus Lumborum Plane Block Versus Bilateral Lateral Quadratus Lumborum Plane Block in Controlling Postoperative Pain in Cancer Patients Undergoing Open Nephrectomy

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of bilateral ultrasound-guided intramuscular quadratus lumborum plane block (QL4) versus bilateral lateral quadratus lumborum plane block (QL1) in controlling postoperative pain in cancer patients undergoing open nephrectomy.

Effects of Behavioral Activation on Negative Emotions, Cancer-related Symptoms and Clinical Indicators in Cancer Patients

The majority of cancer patients experience varying degrees of psychological distress and physical symptoms due to the presence of cancer or the process of treatment. These symptoms are closely associated with inflammatory markers and patient prognosis, highlighting the urgent need for effective psychological intervention methods. Behavioral activation, an emerging psychological intervention approach, requires further investigation regarding its potential in alleviating negative emotions among cancer patients. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate whether (1) behavioral activation can ameliorate negative emotions and physical symptoms in cancer patients; (2) behavioral activation can contribute to improved survival outcomes for these patients; and (3) behavioral activation can enhance NLR levels and other clinical indicators among individuals with cancer. The investigators aimed to recruit esophageal and gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. These patients were recruited from the Department of Oncology at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between March 2023 and November 2023. They are divided into seven cohorts. Cohorts 1-5 are randomized control trials and within each cohort, patients were randomly allocated into two groups: an intervention group (behavioral activation+care as usual, BA+CAU) and a control group (care as usual, CAU). The intervention group underwent an eight-week behavioral activation program (see Detailed Description) designed to promote engagement in meaningful activities that are physically and emotionally rewarding while reducing involvement in maladaptive emotional cycles. Both the intervention group and the control group received standard care along with conventional treatment for their respective cancers. Cohorts 6-7 are prospective cohort studies, in addition to the aforementioned groups, and include an additional control group. Detailed information for each cohort is provided in Detailed Description. This study aims to demonstrate the significant efficacy of behavioral activation in improving negative emotions, somatic symptoms, quality of life, and clinical inflammatory indicators among cancer patients. Furthermore, it may potentially enhance patient survival rates, thereby offering a novel approach for psychological intervention in cancer patients and contributing to multidisciplinary treatment and management strategies. The intervention measures employed in this study do not involve any pharmacological treatments or hazardous activities. For illiterate or less educated patients, the informed consent process and questionnaire collection will be conducted using methods that ensure their full comprehension (e.g., verbal explanations, visual aids). Additionally, patients with evident cognitive impairments were excluded from the study. The investigators have implemented a questionnaire system on the WJX website (https://www.wjx.cn/) to collect patient information through both paper and electronic questionnaires. The psychological measurement questionnaires are stored electronically, while socio-demographic data and clinical indicators are collected in the hospital's medical record management system. Subsequently, all data is summarized and saved in local Excel files and SPSS files for specialized analysis by data analysts. Patient names are anonymized within the database, ensuring strict confidentiality of personal information such as contact details and home address. Possible statistical methods include descriptive statistical analysis, generalized estimating equation or repeated measures analysis of variance, structural equation modeling, correlation analysis and regression, survival analysis, etc.