Emotion and Symptom-Focused Engagement Trial for Individuals With Acute Leukemia
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Usual Care, EASE-psy.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Acute Leukemia. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Canada
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Emotion and Symptom-Focused Engagement (EASE): A Multi-Site Randomized Controlled Trial of an Intervention for Individuals With Acute Leukemia
Overview
The purpose of this study is to find out whether a novel manualized intervention, called Emotion and Symptom-focused Engagement (EASE), that combines psychological support with symptom screening plus triggered referral to early palliative care for symptom control, reduces psychological distress and physical symptom burden in individuals newly diagnosed with acute leukemia. To do this, half of the participants in this study will receive the usual care offered to patients with acute leukemia and half of the participants will receive usual care plus the EASE intervention.
Detailed description
The standard or usual care treatment for patients with newly diagnosed acute leukemia involves admission to hospital for treatment (e.g. induction chemotherapy). Additional support services may be delivered if requested or if a doctor thinks it is necessary.
Little research has been done looking at the psychological and physical consequences of being diagnosed with and treated for acute leukemia, but our research team has found that a significant number of these individuals experience symptoms of traumatic stress and severe physical symptoms. Even less research has been done looking at ways to help alleviate this psychological and physical distress. Emotion and Symptom-focused Engagement (EASE) is an integrated psychosocial and early palliative care (symptom control) intervention designed to reduce psychological distress and physical symptom burden in patients newly diagnosed with acute leukemia. The EASE intervention provides i) tailored supportive psychotherapy (called EASE-psy) during the initial weeks of treatment to reduce symptoms of traumatic stress, and ii) symptom screening during the initial inpatient treatment period with triggered referral to early palliative care (symptom control) to help manage moderate to severe physical symptoms (called EASE-phys).
A phase II trial of EASE in patients with newly diagnosed acute leukemia demonstrated feasibility and preliminary evidence that it reduces psychological distress and physical symptom severity compared to usual care. This new trial is a definitive phase III, multi-site randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of EASE at reducing psychological distress and physical burden.
Interventions
- Other Usual Care
The usual care group will receive usual care of their acute leukemia at their centre but no formal psychological or palliative care intervention as part of this trial - Behavioral EASE-psy
All patients randomized to EASE will receive tailored supportive psychotherapy over the initial 8 weeks following the diagnosis of acute leukemia. The psychotherapy will be delivered by trained therapists and combines elements of relational support, affect regulation, and trauma-informed cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). -EASE-phys: All patients randomized to EASE will receive weekly symptom screening during the initial inpatient treatment period (typically 4 weeks) with triggered referral t
Primary outcome measures
- Assess the effect of the EASE intervention compared to usual care to reduce traumatic stress symptoms using the Stanford Acute Stress Reaction questionnaire (SASRQ) [Time frame: 4 weeks]
- Assess the effect of the EASE intervention compared to usual care to reduce physical symptom severity using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) [Time frame: 4 weeks]
Secondary outcome measures (11)
- Assess the effect of the EASE intervention compared to usual care to reduce traumatic stress symptoms using the SASRQ [Time frame: 8 weeks, 12 weeks & 26 weeks]
- Assess the effect of the EASE intervention to usual care to reduce physical symptom severity using the MSAS [Time frame: 8 weeks, 12 weeks & 26 weeks]
- Assess the effect of the EASE intervention compared to usual care on the number of participants meeting criteria consistent with a diagnosis of ASD and threshold ASD based on DSM-5 criteria using the SASRQ [Time frame: 4, 8, 12 and 26 weeks]
- Assess the effect of the EASE intervention compared to usual care on Quality of Life using The Functional Assessment of chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-being Scale [Time frame: 4, 8, 12, 26 and 52 weeks]
- Assess the effect of the EASE intervention compared to usual care on depressive symptoms using The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) [Time frame: 4, 8 ,12 and 26 weeks]
- Assess the effect of the EASE intervention compared to usual care on the number of physical symptoms of cancer and the associated symptom-related distress as measured by the (MSAS) [Time frame: 4, 8, 12 & 26 weeks]
- Assess the effect of the EASE intervention compared to usual care on patient satisfaction with care using the 16-item FAMCAR-P16 [Time frame: 4, 8, 12 and 26 weeks]
- Assess the effect of the EASE intervention compared to usual care on pain using the modified Brief Pain Inventory-Sort Form (BPI) [Time frame: 4, 8 12 and 26 weeks]
- The modified brief Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR-M16) is an instrument to measure attachment security or the ability to rely on close others for support when distressed. [Time frame: Baseline]
- 10) The EQ-5D-5L will be used to measure generic health status so that it can be used to compute quality-adjusted life years (QALY) in an economic evaluation that compares the benefit and cost of the EASE intervention [Time frame: 4, 8, 12, 26 and 52 weeks]
- To compare progression-free survival between treatment arms [Time frame: 1 year]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Newly diagnosed AL (acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in blast crisis; T-cell leukemia lymphoma (TLL), and AL of ambiguous lineage) and is recruited up to 1 week prior to hospital admission or within 2 weeks of hospital admission. For patients diagnosed with a mixed phenotype AL, the dominant sub-type must be identified for stratification purposes.
- Receiving or expected to receive induction therapy with curative intent at the time of recruitment.
- Age ≥ 18 years.
- Ability to pass the cognitive screening test at the time of recruitment (Short Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test (SOMC) score ≥ 20), unless deemed suitable at the CRA's discretion (e.g. in extenuating circumstances such as interruptions during the administration of the measure or when patients report a learning disability that can influence the results).
- Patient is fluent in English and is able (i.e. sufficiently literate and competent) and willing to complete the baseline questionnaires in English. Ability but unwillingness to complete the baseline questionnaires will make the patient ineligible.
Exclusion criteria
- Major communication difficulties at the time of recruitment, as assessed by the research team (e.g. severe hearing impairment or inability to speak).
- Receiving on-site (in hospital) psychological/psychiatric counseling at the time of recruitment.
- Receiving on-site (in hospital) palliative care services at the time of recruitment.
- A diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
Study locations
Canada · 5 centers
- Juravinski Cancer Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences — Hamilton
- Kingston Health Sciences Centre — Kingston
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute — Ottawa
- Odette Cancer Centre — Toronto
- University Health Network — Toronto
Identifiers
NCT: NCT04224974 · SC26