Supportive Care / Symptom Management (Prevention of Cancer Morbidity)
Projects and Investigators
A Randomized Trial of CAM Comfort Care at End of Life, University of Washington
| Principal Investigator: | Lafferty, William E. |
|---|
| Institution: | University of Washington |
| State: | WA |
| Research Category: | End of Life |
|
| NCI Program Director: | O'Mara, Ann |
|---|
| NCI Division: | Division of Cancer Prevention |
| Project ID: | R01 CA106204 |
| Project Funding Period: | 9/02/03 to 8/31/07 |
|
Program Description:
This long-term objective of this project is to improve the quality of patient dying and death by the appropriate use of complementary medicine (CAM). Specific Aim 1 is to test a prospective randomized controlled trial of guided meditation and massage therapy that will complement allopathic comfort care for persons with advanced cancer and AIDS. Hospice organizations, oncologists and HIV specialists would be used to recruit 300 eligible clients for the CAM intervention trial. Patients will be randomized to one of three intervention arms. Arm 1 will test the palliative value of massage, Arm 2 will use guided meditation, and Arm 3 will control using friendly visits. Outcomes will include measures over time of physical and depressive symptoms, mood, quality of life, functional status and measures of positive affect. Specific Aim 2 is to measure the effect of these CAM interventions on a secondary endpoint, the quality of dying and death (QODD). The QODD is a questionnaire administered to a significant other that has been specifically created to capture factors that may ultimately be as important in improving the quality of dying than just pain and symptom management. Holistic outcomes that may be influenced by CAM treatments such as being at peace, and improving the fear of dying are measured.
