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NCT Number: NCT01775085

Group Interventions for Breast Cancer Survivors

The purpose of this study is to compare two types of groups for breast cancer survivors: a Meaning-Centered Group and a Discussion Group. Many breast cancer survivors seek help to deal with the emotional burden of having gone through the cancer experience. Participation in groups offering support often helps cancer survivors cope with stressors of life after having had cancer by giving them a place to express their feelings. The "Meaning-Centered Group" is intended to teach breast cancer survivors how to maintain or even increase a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives after treatment for cancer. The "Discussion Group" is intended to help breast cancer survivors cope by giving them a place to get support from other breast cancer survivors.

The goal of this study is to compare the benefits of these two types of group approaches for breast cancer survivors. The study is also testing the benefits and feasibility of conducting the groups virtually using a telephone and computer.

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This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at Commack, Commack, New York, United States

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • History of non-metastatic breast cancer (DCIS or Stage I, II, or III) as recorded in the medical record at MSKCC by self-report, or by outside correspondence, including a study checklist signed by a physician for patients outside of MSKCC
  • Post completion of treatment (may be on hormone therapy, such as Tamoxifen or monoclonal antibody, such as Herceptin or Pertuzumab)) for any type of cancer as confirmed by the medical record at MSKCC, by self-report, or by outside correspondence, including a study checklist signed by a physician for patients outside of MSKCC
  • Age 18 or older
  • Access to a telephone, computer (e.g. desktop, laptop, smartphone, tablet) and Internet

For Phase 2 only:

  • A score of ≥ to 4 on the Distress Thermometer (DT) and indication that this distress is related in some way to the patient's breast cancer or survivorship
  • If taking medication for mood, anxiety, depression, thoughts, sensory experiences such as hallucinations, or sleep, stable and consistent enough in dosage and use of that medication so as to not result in a clinically significant change as determined by the study PI/co-PI or, confirmed by reports in the medical record at MSKCC, by selfreport, or by outside correspondence, including a study checklist signed by a physician for patients outside of MSKCC
  • Did not participate in Phase 1

Exclusion criteria

  • Evidence of or treatment metastatic disease
  • Significant psychiatric or cognitive disturbance sufficient, in the investigator's judgment, to preclude providing informed consent or participating in the groups (i.e., acute psychiatric symptoms which require individual treatment).

Treatment and study plan

manualized group intervention

Behavioral

MCG-BCS manual outlines 8 approximately, 90-minute modules: 1) Concepts & Sources of Meaning; 2) Identity, Cancer Survivorship, & Meaning; 3) Historical Sources of Meaning: Past Legacy; 4) Historical Sources of Meaning: Present & Future Legacy; 5) Attitudinal Sources of Meaning: Encountering Life's Limitations; 6) Creative Sources of Meaning: Creativity & Responsibility; 7) Experiential Sources of Meaning: Connecting with Life via Love, Beauty, & Humor; and 8) Transitions: Reflections & Hopes for the Future.

standardized, manualized group intervention

Behavioral

DG is a standardized, manualized group developed by the MSKCC Psychiatry Service and utilized in a similar form in our completed and ongoing RCTs of MCGP. Based on models described by Rogers and Bloch, the essential components include reassurance, explanation, education, encouragement, and permission for expression. The process emphasizes Rogerian concepts (e.g., empathic understanding) and avoids techniques that are not exclusively supportive. The content focuses on education about here-and-now topics relevant to BCS (e.g., maintaining and eliciting social support, financial strains, return to work, physical symptom management), allowing emotional expression and discussion of difficult topics.

Primary outcomes

  1. feasibility as measured by the proportion of patients enrolled who complete 4 out of 8 modules, which should not be not lower than 40%.

    Time frame: 2 years

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Other

Collaborators

  • American Cancer Society, Inc.

Registry information

Official study title

Development of Group Interventions for Breast Cancer Survivors

Important dates

Study start
2013
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 24, 2013
Registry last updated
Feb 5, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

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This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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