Dyadic Life Review for Cancer

(DLR RCT Trial)

Overseen By Lauren Mitchell

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Rochester

Disqualifiers: No caregiver, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 8

60 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a new approach called Dyadic Life Review, which aims to help older adults with advanced cancer and their caregivers. The trial compares this method, involving life reflection sessions with a trained clinician, to usual care that includes support from social workers. It targets individuals aged 65 and older, diagnosed with advanced cancer in the past six months, and experiencing significant distress. Participants must have a caregiver, such as a partner or adult child, to join them in the sessions. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to explore innovative support methods that could enhance emotional well-being.

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to discuss this with the trial coordinators or your doctor.

What prior data suggests that the Dyadic Life Review is safe for older adults with advanced cancer and their caregivers?

Research shows that the Dyadic Life Review treatment is generally safe for people with cancer and their caregivers. Studies have found that similar treatments, involving both patients and their partners, can improve quality of life and coping skills. These treatments are supportive and have not been linked to any serious side effects.

While specific data on side effects for the Dyadic Life Review itself is lacking, the treatment involves guided conversations with a trained clinician, suggesting it is likely well-tolerated. The focus on discussing life memories is usually a low-risk activity. Overall, existing research supports the safety and positive impact of these approaches for people dealing with cancer. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Dyadic Life Review because it offers a unique approach to addressing emotional distress in cancer patients. Unlike typical treatments that might involve medication or individual therapy, this method involves both the patient and their caregiver in a series of structured reminiscing sessions. This approach not only helps patients reflect on meaningful life experiences but also strengthens the bond with their caregiver, potentially enhancing emotional well-being for both individuals. By fostering shared memories and mutual understanding, the Dyadic Life Review aims to provide emotional support in a way that many current treatments do not.

What evidence suggests that the Dyadic Life Review is effective for advanced cancer?

Research has shown that activities involving both cancer patients and their caregivers, such as the Dyadic Life Review being tested in this trial, can enhance life quality for both groups. Studies have found that these activities, especially those lasting more than six weeks, significantly improve quality of life. They encourage patients and caregivers to share and reflect together, strengthening their relationship and emotional support. This method has proven effective for various types of cancer. Overall, these joint activities hold promise for improving well-being in cancer care. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for individuals aged 65 or older who have been diagnosed with Stage III or IV advanced cancer within the last 180 days. Participants must be able to read and understand English and score at least a 4 on the NCCN Distress Thermometer, indicating some level of distress.

Inclusion Criteria

I can read and understand English.

I am 65 years old or older.

I scored 4 or more on a distress scale.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Dyadic Life Review Intervention

Participants in the Dyadic Life Review Arm (DLR) receive 8 sessions delivered by a trained licensed clinician, facilitating reminiscence and reflection between patients and caregivers.

8 weeks

8 sessions (in-person or virtual)

Care-As-Usual

Participants in the Care-As-Usual (CAU) arm receive supportive follow-up phone calls from the social work team to assess and address patient distress.

18 weeks

Phone calls as needed

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for psychological distress and communication satisfaction after the intervention.

18 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Dyadic Life Review

Trial Overview The study is testing a Dyadic Life Review (DLR) intervention where older adults with advanced cancer and their caregivers participate in life review sessions, compared to Care-as-Usual (CAU), which includes standard social work referrals.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Dyadic Life Review Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The Dyadic Life Review Arm (DLR) consists of 8 sessions delivered by a trained licensed clinician. Each session facilitates a recall of each phase of life. The patient and caregiver will each be asked structured questions to prompt reminiscence of memories from that phase of life. Interventionists are able to use clinical judgment to prompt further or ask follow-up questions or reflections. Additionally, the patient and caregiver will be asked to respond to the other dyad member's memory or reflection. Each session will have flexibility for clinical judgement.

Group II: Case-As-Usual Active Control 1 Intervention

The Care-As-Usual (CAU) arm will follow current practices for responding to patient distress. The CAU for patients involves a supportive follow-up phone call from the social work team to further assess the patient's experience of distress. In some instances, the social worker will use their clinical judgement to further refer the patient to community resources to support distress. The number of phone calls and any subsequent community referrals or appointments related to distress that occur will be tracked.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Rochester

Lead Sponsor

Trials

883

Recruited

555,000+

Citations

1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39972207/

Effectiveness of Dyadic Interventions on Quality of Life for ... Objectives: To assess dyadic intervention effect on quality of life for cancer patients and family caregivers across different cancer types and ...

2. onlinelibrary.wiley.com onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocn.17700?af=R

Effectiveness of Dyadic Interventions on Quality of Life for ... Family-centred dyadic interventions with long-term durations (> 6 weeks) are effective at improving quality of life among cancer patients and ...

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7934590/

Effects of Dyadic Interventions on Quality of Life among ... The main aim of this review was to explore existing dyadic/family interventions for cancer dyads and to identify the effectiveness of intervention on patient ...

4. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002074892400261X

Dyadic interventions for cancer patient-caregiver dyads To systematically synthesize and evaluate the comparative efficacy of various dyadic interventions on a wide range of outcomes within cancer patient-caregiver ...

5. bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12912-025-02769-8

The effectiveness of dyadic interventions for health outcomes ... The results of this review indicate that dyadic care interventions benefit prostate cancer patients and informal caregivers.

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8936416/

The Dyadic Cancer Outcomes Framework This article describes the development of the Dyadic Cancer Outcomes Framework, which was created to guide future research and intervention development.

7. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06505122

Dyadic Life Review Intervention for Older Patients With ... This innovative pilot study will gather data to test the feasibility of a pilot and examine pre-post intervention changes in caregiver psychological distress.

8. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1462388925000225

Efficacy of couple-based dyadic interventions on the ... One systematic review found that patients with cancer and their partners exhibited enhanced quality of life, dyadic coping abilities, and marital satisfaction ...

9. medicaljournalssweden.se medicaljournalssweden.se/actaoncologica/article/view/42561

Dyadic coping after cancer diagnosis – a longitudinal ... This study is one of the first to examine DC trajectories in a large sample of cancer patients in the early phase after diagnosis.