CanACT feasibility
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The addition of ACT or a Talking Control to treatment as usual for the management of dysfunction in advanced cancer: A feasibility randomised controlled trial
IRAS ID
117269
Contact name
Marc Serfaty
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Many people with advanced cancer experience psychological distress, which some try to suppress, leading to further problems. Although conventional psychological treatments reduce distress by problem-solving, physical and psychological difficulties are complex and often have no simple solutions. A new psychological therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), works differently by encouraging acknowledgement and acceptance of mental experiences, so increasing people’s ability to work with problems not easily solved. Previous studies have established both a link between between distress, impaired physical functioning and low acceptance. This study will explore the feasibility of both delivering an ACT intervention and recruiting people to this type of study.
54 adults with advanced cancer attending three specialist palliative care clinics in inner London, will be recruited into this 2.5 year study. Participants will be allocated randomly (by chance) to receive up to 8 sessions of either ACT or Talking Control. To explore the effects of ACT, at the start of the trial and after 3 and 6 months, participants will complete questionnaires to measure (i) functioning in several areas of life (physical, social/family, emotional, general activity) using the FACT-G; (ii) acceptance using the AAQ II Questionnaire; (iii) psychological distress using the K10; (iv) quality of life using the SF-12 and ICECAP-SCM v) valued living using the Valued Living Questionnaire. Participants will attempt a timed walk and sit-to-stand test to check physical function. We shall collect data on the costs of care. 20 participants will be asked to participate in a qualitative interview at 3 months about their experience of receiving a psychological intervention. We shall learn if a study of this nature is possible and how to design a future larger study. 20 participants will also be interviewed at 3, 6 ,9 and 12 months about the effects this psychological intervention had on their emotions and behaviour.
REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0813
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion