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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05884788

Study of the Life Stories of Patients Making a Request for Euthanasia, in the Context of Advanced Cancer.

This study wishes to focus on the life course of patients, beyond the moments of suffering experienced at the time of the request for euthanasia. It is based on the perspective that the patient's account of his or her life course can be a source of information for better understanding and accompanying patients requesting euthanasia.

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Key information

Conditions

Advanced Cancer Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Neoplasms Self-Injurious Behavior Suicide Suicide, Assisted

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Centre Léon Bérard

Lyon, 69008, France

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Major patients
  • With cancer in the palliative phase, i.e. with an incurable disease according to current knowledge.
  • Expressing a request for euthanasia in terms evoking a request for death with the intervention of an outside person.
  • Non-opposition to the study after full written information.

Exclusion criteria

  • Severe decompensated psychiatric pathology
  • Vulnerable persons defined here as pregnant women, parturients and persons under legal protection or unable to express their consent
  • Inability to conduct an interview

Treatment and study plan

free interview, and questionnaires in a second time

Other

After inclusion in the study, patients will be met for a free interview. The interview will be conducted using an open-ended interview method with the patients to allow free expression of their life history, using open and broad questions to avoid the influence of the interviewer as much as possible.

Each interview will be conducted by the same person to allow for better interpersonal reproducibility.

After the interview, the patients will be seen again to complete two questionnaires:

  • An attachment questionnaire: Relationship Scales Questionnaire
  • A questionnaire on symptoms: Distress thermometer

Primary outcomes

  1. Description of the life stories of patients requesting euthanasia to explore which life experiences are brought forward when making this request, in a context of advanced oncological pathology.

    Time frame: One month

    The main objective is to describe the life stories of patients requesting euthanasia in order to discover which life experiences are reasoning in the formulation of this request, in a context of advanced oncological pathology.

    The investigators carry out a descriptive analysis of the interviews. The interviews will be analyzed as they are conducted, in order to identify themes of interest. The themes will be compared between the different interviews in order to identify possible trends.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Calculation of the Bartholomew score

    Time frame: One month

    Use of specific questionnaire (Relationship Scales Questionnaire of Batholomew) to describe the profiles of the patients in the study

  2. Calculation of the distress thermometer's score

    Time frame: One month

    Use of specific questionnaire (NCCN distress thermometer) to describe the profiles of the patients in the study

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Centre Leon Berard

Other

Registry information

Acronym: RECIFE

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Jun 1, 2023
Registry last updated
Apr 16, 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.

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