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NCT Number: NCT06430541

Study of Psilocybin Assisted Psychotherapy to Address Fear of Recurrence

The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether psilocybin along with therapy in women with early breast cancer and ovarian cancer in remission can improve their fear of recurrence. The main question[s] it aims to answer [is/are]:

Does psilocybin assisted therapy improve fear of cancer recurrence? Does psilocybin assisted therapy improve anxiety, depression, and quality of life?

Participants will complete a series of survey measures, participate in preparatory therapy. After prep therapy is complete, they will receive a moderately high dose of psilocybin in a monitored and supportive environment. After the dosing day, they will complete 4 sessions of integrative therapy and complete survey measures.

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Key information

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

1, Aged ≥ 21 2. Diagnosis of:

  • early-stage breast cancer at low risk of recurrence
  • defined as clinical stage 1 or 2
  • completed primary treatment (surgery, chemotherapy [adjuvant, patients may continue to be treated with neoadjuvant], and/or radiation) > 6 months ago
  • oncologist reported risk of recurrence at 10 years < 20%
  • late-stage ovarian cancer at high risk of recurrence
  • defined as Clinical stage 3 or 4
  • currently in remission
  • oncologist reported risk of recurrence at 10 years > 80% 2. Functional Status defined as:
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) ≤1
  • Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) ≥60%
  • Ability to tolerate PO medication administration 4. Fear of recurrence at screening and baseline 5. Have an identified support person
  • Agree to be accompanied home (or to an otherwise safe destination) by the support person, or another responsible party, following dosing 6. Participants of childbearing potential must agree to practice an effective means of birth control throughout the duration of the study.

Exclusion criteria

  • Unstable medical conditions or serious abnormalities of complete blood count, chemistries, or EKG that in the opinion of the study physician would preclude safe participation in the trial. Some examples include:
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Valvular heart disease
  • Clinically significant arrhythmias (e.g., ventricular fibrillation, torsades) or clinically significant EKG abnormality (i.e., QTC interval > 450)
  • Recent acute myocardial infarction or evidence of ischemia
  • Malignant hypertension
  • Congenital long QT syndrome
  • Acute renal failure
  • Severe hepatic impairment
  • Respiratory failure
  • eGFR < 50 mL/min/1.73m2
  • LFTs > 1.5 x ULN
  • WBC < 5 x 10*9/L
  • Hemoglobin < 8.0 g/dL
  • Platelets < 150 x 10*9/L
  • Risk for hypertensive crisis defined as:

Screening and Baseline blood pressure >140/90 mmHg

  • Significant central nervous system (CNS) pathology

Examples include:

  • Primary or secondary cerebral neoplasm
  • Epilepsy
  • History of stroke
  • Cerebral aneurysm
  • Dementia
  • Delirium
  • Primary psychotic or affective psychotic disorders Examples include current or past DSM-5 criteria for:
  • Schizophrenia spectrum disorders
  • Schizoaffective disorder
  • Bipolar I or bipolar II disorder
  • Major Depressive Disorder with psychotic features
  • Prior history of psychosis due to medical condition or substance use
  • Family history of psychotic or serious bipolar spectrum illnesses.

Examples include first-degree relative with:

  • Schizophrenia spectrum disorders
  • Schizoaffective disorder
  • Bipolar I disorder with psychotic features
  • High risk of adverse emotional or behavioral reaction based on investigator's clinical evaluation and judgement. Examples include:
  • Agitation
  • Violent behavior
  • Active substance use disorders (SUDs) defined as:
  • DSM-5 criteria for moderate or severe alcohol or drug use disorder (excluding caffeine and nicotine) within the past year
  • DAST-10 score of 3 or higher
  • Two or more "yes" responses to CAGE screening questionnaire
  • Extensive use of serotonergic hallucinogens (e.g., LSD, psilocybin) defined as:
  • Any use in the last 12 months
  • >25 lifetime uses
  • Clinically significant suicidality or high risk of completed suicide defined as:
  • 'Yes' to C-SSRS Suicidal Ideation items 4 or 5 within the last 2 months at Screening or 'since last visit' at Baseline
  • Any C-SSRS Suicidal Behavior item within the past 12 months at Screening or 'since last visit' at Baseline, as defined by 'Yes' to any of the following on the C-SSRS: actual attempt, interrupted attempt, aborted attempt, or preparatory acts
  • Have any suicidal ideation or thoughts, in the opinion of the study physician or PI, that presents a serious risk of suicidal or self-injurious behavior
  • History of hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD)
  • Pregnancy/lactation
  • Cognitive impairment as defined by:
  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test (MoCA) < 23
  • Concurrent Medications
  • Antidepressants
  • Centrally-acting serotonergic agents (e.g., MAO inhibitors)
  • Serotonin-acting dietary supplements (such as 5-hydroxy-tryptophan or St. John's wort)
  • Antipsychotics (e.g., first and second generation)
  • Mood stabilizers (e.g., lithium, valproic acid)
  • Aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors (e.g., disulfiram)
  • Significant inhibitors of UGT 1A0 or UGT

1A10

  • Efavirenz
  • Have a positive urine drug test including Amphetamines, Barbiturates, Buprenorphine, Benzodiazepines, Cocaine, Cannabis, Methamphetamine, MDMA, Methadone, Opiates (Morphine, Oxycodone) unless prescribed, and Phencyclidine (PCP).
  • Have a psychiatric condition judged to be incompatible with establishment of rapport with the study therapists or safe exposure to psilocybin
  • Have any psychological or physical symptom, medication, or other relevant finding , based on the clinical judgment of the PI or relevant clinical study staff that would make a participant unsuitable for the study.
  • Have an allergy or intolerance to any of the materials contained in the drug product
  • Non-English speaking individual
  • Be enrolled in another clinical trial assessing intervention(s) for anxiety, depression, and/or existential distress (e.g., pharmacologic or psychotherapeutic interventions)

Treatment and study plan

Psilocybin

Drug

A tryptamine that produces its behavioral effects primarily by acting as post-synaptic agonists at serotonin 5-HT2A and 5-HT2c receptors.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory

    Time frame: 1-week, 4-weeks, 8-weeks* (primary outcome time point), 12-weeks, and 24-weeks.

    Measured by change in core on the Fear of Recurrence Inventory completed at screening and baseline.

    The FCRI's total score ranges from 0 to 36, with higher scores indicating greater FCR severity.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Safety as measured by adverse events

    Time frame: for the duration of study participation -6 months

    Assess Adverse Events, Treatment Emergent Adverse Events, Serious Adverse Events

Other outcomes

  1. Depression

    Time frame: Baseline, 1-week, 4-weeks, 8-weeks, 12-weeks, and 24-weeks

    Symptoms of depression as measured by HADS-D 0-7 (Normal) 8-10 (Mild) 11-15 (Moderate) 16-21 (Severe)

  2. Anxiety

    Time frame: Baseline, 1-week, 4-weeks, 8-weeks, 12-weeks, and 24-weeks

    Symptoms of anxiety as measured by HADS-A 0-7 (Normal) 8-10 (Mild) 11-15 (Moderate) 16-21 (Severe)

  3. Cancer-related Existential Distress

    Time frame: Baseline, 1-week, 4-weeks, 8-weeks, 12-weeks, and 24-weeks

    Demoralization Syndrome will be measured with the Demoralization Scale Version II (DS-II) 16 items that are rated on a three-point Likert scale (0 = never; 1 = sometimes; 2 = often), thus total DS-II scores range from 0-32

  4. Quality of Life-FACT-G

    Time frame: Baseline, 1-week, 4-weeks, 8-weeks, 12-weeks, and 24-weeks

    Quality of life as measured by FACT-G The FACT-G consists of 27 items grouped into four general subdomains: physical well-being (PWB; 7 items, score range: 0-28), social/family well-being (SFWB; 7 items, score range: 0-28), emotional well-being (EWB; 6 items, score range: 0-24), and functional well-being (FWB; 7 items, score range: 0-28).

  5. Spirituality

    Time frame: Baseline, 1-week, 4-weeks, 8-weeks, 12-weeks, and 24-weeks

    Spirituality as measured by FACT-Sp The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp) scale has a total score range of 0-48. The scale is made up of 12 items, each scored on a 5-point Likert scale with options ranging from 0 ("not at all") to 4 ("very much"). Two items are negatively worded and must be reverse-coded. Higher scores indicate higher well-being.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Mary Mancuso

CONTACT

[email protected]

303-724-5729

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Colorado, Denver

Other

Collaborators

  • Usona Institute

Registry information

Official study title

Study of Psilocybin Assisted Psychotherapy to Address Fear of Recurrence in Patients Diagnosed With Early-stage Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer in Remission

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2028
First posted
May 28, 2024
Registry last updated
Apr 21, 2026

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.

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