Efficacy of a brief manualized intervention Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) adapted to German cancer care settings: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

study protocol - open access
  Efficacy of a brief manualized intervention Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) adapted to German cancer care settings: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
 

Background

Worldwide, eight million people died from cancer in 2010 - an increase of 38 % over the last two decades [1]. Numerous studies have shown high levels of symptom burden and psychosocial distress associated with advanced cancer [2]–[6]. Psychological distress can range from normal adaptive emotions through to higher levels of severe and clinically significant symptoms that fulfill the standardized diagnostic criteria for adjustment disorder, anxiety disorders, or depression [7]. Studies demonstrate a total prevalence for any mental disorder of 32 % across all tumor settings and stages [8] and prevalence rates of 30–50 % for all mood disturbances including adjustment disorders and depression in palliative care settings [9], [10].....

 
Discussion

Our study will contribute important statistical evidence on whether CALM can reduce depression and existential distress in a German sample of advanced and highly distressed cancer patients.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02051660