Recruiting

Expressive Writing

Sponsor:

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Code:

NCT04776941

Conditions

Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Cell Neoplasm

Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Behavioral Intervention

Behavioral Intervention

Behavioral Intervention

Behavioral Intervention

Quality-of-Life Assessment

Study Details

Brief summary:

This clinical trial evaluates the effect of expressive writing for the management of stress in cancer survivors. Cancer diagnosis and treatment are associated with increased stress in cancer survivors related to concerns about family, career, relationships, finances, side effects of treatment, and death. This stress can be further exacerbated by social upheavals such as the COVID-19 pandemic. For safety reasons, many patients are isolated with restricted access to in-person health care and reduced social interaction with family and friends. Together with the economic uncertainties that come with this pandemic, these factors are likely to increase cancer survivors' stress levels. Expressive writing may provide a medium through which cancer survivors confront stressors and find meaning in their experience. The goal of this trial is to learn more about the experiences of cancer survivors during stressful times.

Conditions

Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Cell Neoplasm

Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Study ID

NCT04776941

Start date

Aug 7, 2020

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2028

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • At least 18 years old
  • Have a diagnosis of cancer within the past 3 years
  • Are able to speak and read in English
  • Have access to a computer or smart phone with internet connection
  • All disease sites and all cancer stages are eligible for enrollment

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to provide informed consent
  • Non-English speakers will be excluded because this is a feasibility study that will enroll only a limited number of participants

Study Design

Enrollment

414 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Supportive Care

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Arm I (questionnaires, messages, writing)

Patients complete questionnaires over 30 minutes about their mood, health, and income at baseline, and 1, 3, and 6 months. Patients also read brief positive messages and write essays about their experiences over 30 minutes (non-stop) QW for 3 weeks.

active comparator: Arm II (questionnaires, messages, writing)

Patients complete questionnaires over 30 minutes about their mood, health, and income at baseline, and 1, 3, and 6 months. Patients also read brief neutral messages and write essays about neutral topics over 30 minutes (non-stop) QW for 3 weeks.

Interventions

Behavioral Intervention

Read positive messages

Behavioral Intervention

Write about positive experiences

Behavioral Intervention

Write about neutral topics

Behavioral Intervention

Read neutral messages

Quality-of-Life Assessment

Ancillary studies

Questionnaire Administration

Complete questionnaires

Primary outcome measure

  • Participant response rate [ Time Frame: 1 month ]
  • Study completion rate [ Time Frame: 1 month ]
  • Intervention adherence rate [ Time Frame: 1 month ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

M D Anderson Cancer Center

Recruiting

Houston, Texas, United States, 77030

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Qian Lu

More Information

Sponsor

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Last update posted

Aug 14, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center on 2026-08-14.