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National Cancer Institute Funds Jefferson Study for Women with Cancer
Volunteers sought to participate in one of two support group programs or to provide information about why they prefer not
to join support programs
If you’re a woman with cancer, please consider participating in a study being conducted by the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson
in Philadelphia and funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
The study’s purpose is to compare the benefits of participation in either of two free eight-week programs designed to alleviate
distress caused by cancer.
Qualified women will be selected to participate in one program or the other on a randomized basis (except for some statistical
considerations, no particular factors will influence which women participate in which group). They will be allowed to participate
for free in the program for which they are randomly selected (comparable group programs charge a fee of several hundred dollars),
and, at the end of their program, they may participate in the other program for free as well, if they wish. Group participants
will also receive free parking or compensation for the cost of their public transportation.
Why this study is important
“Patients with cancer often have high levels of stress and distress that can persist for years,” says Daniel Monti, MD, Director
of the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Associate Professor
of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University (TJU). “These persistently high
stress levels have a negative effect on the patients’ illness outcomes.”
Recognizing that, the National Institutes of Health NCI Office of Cancer Survivorship has awarded TJU a $2 million grant for
a study comparing how two different types of support group programs improve health-related quality of life and decrease stress
in women with cancer.
“Both of these group programs are aimed at empowering women to live better with the experience of having a cancer diagnosis.
Both have a good track record of significantly decreasing patients’ psychological distress and of improving their health-related
quality of life. We’re going to try to see which type of patients benefit more from one type of program over another,” explains
Dr. Monti, the study’s principal investigator at Jefferson.
Programs to be compared
The two group programs are:
- A standardized cancer support group program that emphasizes information and education on a range of topics relevant to having
a cancer diagnosis
- A newly developed cancer support group program that emphasizes training in specific stress reduction skills
A total of 339 women will be enrolled in the two support group programs; 226 with breast cancer and 113 with other cancer
diagnoses. The two programs will be compared on measures of psychological distress and key aspects of health-related quality
of life as well as comparisons of potential changes in the immune system. Each group program will meet once weekly for eight
weeks.
Participants are currently being sought for the first pair of support program sessions, beginning in September. Following
that initial eight-week run, additional participants will be needed during the next three years for subsequent programs scheduled
during the spring and fall seasons.
Participants who DON’T want to join a program also sought
Jefferson also seeks women who prefer NOT to participate in one of the two support programs to complete a questionnaire designed
to help researchers understand why they so choose. These women will be paid a small fee in compensation for their time and
information, which may lead toward improvements in content and marketing of support group programs, making them more appealing
to future patients. So, even women who don’t join one of the two group programs being studied can still contribute to this
important cancer research.
How to participate
If you are willing to be interviewed for possible participation in one of the two support groups being compared in this study,
or to complete a questionnaire explaining why you don’t wish to participate in a support group, please call
1-800-JEFF-NOW.
