Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40946175›Full record

Trial reportCancer2025

A pragmatic randomized controlled pilot trial of brief meaning-centered psychotherapy in home care.

Rebecca M Saracino, Ellen Y Park, Hayley Pessin, Nicole Onorato, Margaret V McDonald, Caraline Demirjian, Elizabeth Schofield, Barry Rosenfeld, William Breitbart, Allison J Applebaum

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialPragmatic Clinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Rebecca M SaracinoDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1093-7676
Ellen Y ParkDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0553-2511
Hayley PessinDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.
Nicole OnoratoCenter for Home Care Policy and Research, Visiting Nurse Service Health, New York, NewYork, USA.
Margaret V McDonaldCenter for Home Care Policy and Research, Visiting Nurse Service Health, New York, NewYork, USA.
Caraline DemirjianDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.
Elizabeth SchofieldDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.
Barry RosenfeldDepartment of Psychology, Fordham University, Bronx, New York, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1399-2777
William BreitbartDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.
Allison J ApplebaumBrookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.

Funding

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHYP30CA008748 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RES · PI Hongbiao Carl Lekaye · 1985 to 2026
$347.4M
Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy Training Program for Cancer Care CliniciansR25CA190169 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH · PI William Breitbart, Rebecca Saracino · 2015 to 2026
$3.1M
Behavioral Activation for Depression in Older Adult Cancer Survivors: Pilot Randomized Control Trial and Implementation OutcomesK08CA252633 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH · PI SARACINO, REBECCA · 2021 to 2025
$902k
A Pragmatic Randomized Control Trial of Nurse-Delivered Brief Meaning Centered Psychotherapy for Homebound Palliative Care PatientsR21NR019669 · NINR · SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH · PI APPLEBAUM, ALLISON, SARACINO, REBECCA · 2021 to 2022
$476k
NCI NIH HHS K08 CA252633NCI NIH HHS K08CA252633NCI NIH HHS L30 CA242702NCI NIH HHS P30 CA008748NCI NIH HHS P30CA008748NCI NIH HHS R25 CA190169NCI NIH HHS R25CA190169NINR NIH HHS R21 NR019669NINR NIH HHS R21NR019669
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIndividuals with advanced cancer receiving home health care experience elevated psychosocial and existential distress, yet few interventions address these concerns. This pilot randomized controlled trial examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of brief, nurse-delivered, meaning-centered psychotherapy in patients with advanced cancer compared with treatment as usual (TAU).

methodsDistressed patients (aged 18 years and older) were randomized 1:1 to receive either a three-session Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Hospitals, Hospice, and Home (MCP-H; n = 33) or TAU (n = 32). Feasibility was based on recruitment, retention, data completion, fidelity, and intervention engagement. Acceptability was based on patients' and nurses' ratings of MCP-H satisfaction. Preliminary efficacy was determined by changes in scores from baseline (T1) to 6 weeks (T2) and 10 weeks (T3) in meaning, and secondary outcomes were assessed using between-group analysis.

resultsSeventy-one patients enrolled. Feasibility was demonstrated by satisfactory recruitment (75% approach-to-consent rate; 92% enroll-to-randomize rate), retention (74% and 75% at T2 and T3, respectively), intervention engagement (94% completed 100% of the sessions), and treatment adherence (87% mean rating). Participants endorsed the intervention's acceptability (96% satisfied or very satisfied). MCP-H participants experienced improvements in meaning using the Cohen's d (d = 0.59 at T2; d = 0.39 at T3) and most other secondary psychosocial outcomes at 6 and 10 weeks compared with TAU participants.

conclusionsMCP-H is feasible and acceptable among patients with advanced cancer in home care. This intervention demonstrated promising evidence of clinical efficacy. A larger, fully powered randomized controlled trial is needed to test the efficacy of the intervention for patients, nurses, and health system outcomes against an active control group.

Indexed as

Home Care ServicesNeoplasmsPsychotherapyPsychotherapy, BriefAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPatient SatisfactionPilot ProjectsTreatment Outcomeadvanced cancerdisseminationhome caremeaning‐centered psychotherapynurse interventionistspalliative caresupportive care

Identifiers

PMID40946175
PMCPMC12914612

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.