Mindfulness to Enhance Quality of Life and Support Advance Care Planning (MEANING)
Mindfulness, Meditation, Metastatic Cancer
About this trial
This is an interventional supportive care trial for Mindfulness
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria-Patients
- Patient is at least 18 years of age.
- Patient is at least 3 weeks post-diagnosis of an incurable (locally advanced or metastatic) solid malignancy.
- Patient's attending medical oncologist would not be surprised if the patient died in the next 12 months.
- Patient has not completed a POST form.
- Patient scores ≥ 7 on the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer cognitive avoidance subscale.
- Patient is willing and able to consent and travel to the class location for 6 weekly 2-hour sessions.
- Patient has a family member or close friend eligible and interested in participating in the study.
- Patient has adequate English fluency for completion of data collection
Inclusion Criteria-Family Care Givers (FCG)
- FCG is at least 18 years of age.
- FCG has been invited to participate in the trial with a patient who meets eligibility criteria above.
- FCG is willing and able to consent and travel to the class location for 6 weekly 2-hour sessions.
- FCG has adequate English fluency for completion of data collection
Exclusion Criteria-Patients
- Patient reports a score of > 2 on the Activities and Function item from the Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment91 (PG-SGA; the patient-reported version of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score).
- Patient makes 3 or more errors on a validated 6-item cognitive screener or exhibits significant psychiatric or cognitive impairment (e.g., dementia/delirium, retardation, active psychosis) that in the judgment of the investigators would preclude providing informed consent and study participation.
- Currently receiving hospice care (patients who enroll in hospice during the trial will have the option of continuing trial participation).
Exclusion Criteria-FCGs
• FCG exhibits significant psychiatric or cognitive impairment (e.g., dementia/delirium, retardation, active psychosis) that in the judgment of the investigators would preclude providing informed consent and study participation.
Sites / Locations
- Indiana University
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
No Intervention
Active Comparator
Usual Care
Mindfulness
Participants assigned to Usual Care will continue to receive standard care from their oncology team, including access to supportive care from oncology social workers. At the end of the study, usual care dyads will receive a packet of informational materials on mindfulness meditation, receive a CD with 5 mindfulness meditation practices, and meet with the study interventionist for guidance on how to use the materials and mindfulness recordings to their advantage in coping with cancer-related challenges.
The Mindfulness intervention will consist of six 2-hour sessions that will include guided mindfulness practices, didactics, and group discussion. The course curriculum is modeled on the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program which involves intensive experiential training of participants in secular mindfulness meditation practices (i.e., body scan, sitting meditation, gentle hatha yoga with chair adaptations, compassion meditation), with an emphasis on embodying interpersonal mindfulness in dialogue.