Study of Poetic Dignity Therapy for Sexual and Gender Minority Patients With Cancer

The purpose of this study is to find out if dignity therapy is practical and works well for sexual and gender minority (SGM) patients in MSK. SGM includes, but is not limited to, people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer/questioning (LGBTQ+). Dignity therapy is a type of psychotherapy where the clinician asks the patient questions to allow the patient to express their individual life story and ultimately be able to create a legacy document of their experiences that can be shared with their loved ones.

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This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Conditions

End of Life Death Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Consent only), Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

SGM (as per self-report) palliative care patients identified through Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Palliative Care team and primary solid tumor oncology clinics.
Age 18 and older (as per self-report/EHR)
English-speaking as per the English language assessment items below and wil ing to receive the intervention in English.

o What is the participant's preferred language?

(Specify Lang)___________________________

How well does the participant speak English?
Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
Well (PARTICIPANT is ELIGIBLE)
Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)

Exclusion criteria

Delirium/ altered mental status prohibitive of providing consent.

Treatment and study plan

Dignity Therapy

Other

A trained research staff member will conduct the DT interview virtually. The interview will occur or by phone only if the participant lacks access to technology for videoconferencing. The interviewer asks a series of open-ended questions that encourages patients to talk about their lives and what matters most to them.

Primary outcomes

the number of patients who complete the intervention

Time frame: 1 year

This requires meeting both of the following criteria: i) collection of the DT Interview for 30 patients; and ii) delivery of the poem to at least 22 (>75%) participants.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

An Open Trial of a Novel Poetic Dignity Therapy Intervention to Enhance Meaning and Purpose for Sexual and Gender Minority Patients With Cancer

Important dates

Study start: 2024
Primary completion: 2027
Study completion: 2027
First posted: Mar 5, 2024
Registry last updated: Sep 3, 2025

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

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Active, Not Recruiting