Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) Adapted to Italian Cancer Care Setting

Background: Patients with advanced cancer suffer from a variety of psycho-social symptoms that impair quality of life and may benefit from psychotherapeutic treatment. We describe here the methodology of a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a novel and brief semi-structured psychotherapeutic intervention, called Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM), originally developed in Canada and now cross-culturally tested in Italy. Methods/Design: The study is a single-blinded randomized controlled trial with 2 conditions: CALM intervention versus nonspecific supportive intervention (SPI) and assessments at baseline, 3 and 6 months. The coordinating site is the Program on Psycho-Oncology and Psychiatry in Palliative Care, University of Ferrara and Integrated Department of Mental Health, S. Anna University Hospital, in Ferrara, Italy. Another centre from northern and southern Italy will collaborate. Eligibility criteria include: ≥ 18 years of age; Italian fluency; no cognitive impairment; and diagnosis of advanced cancer. The intervention consists of 12 sessions , following the CALM manual and allowing for flexibility to meet individual patients' needs. It is delivered over a 6-month period and provides reflective space for patients (and their primary caregivers) to address 4 main domains: symptom management and communication with health care providers; changes in self and relations with close others; sense of meaning and purpose; and the future and mortality. The primary outcome is depression and the primary endpoint is at 6 months. Secondary outcomes include demoralization, generalized anxiety, death anxiety, spiritual well-being, quality of life, attachment security, posttraumatic growth, communication with partners, and satisfaction with clinical interactions. Discussion: This trial is being conducted to determine the effectiveness of CALM in an Italian cancer setting. The intervention has potential cross-national relevance and, if shown to be effective, has the potential to be disseminated as a new approach in oncology to relieve distress and promote psychological well-being in patients with advanced cancer.