Small gestures, big impact? study tests kindness and gratitude for cancer patients

NCT ID NCT04810052

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether doing simple positive activities—like performing a kind act or writing a gratitude letter—could improve quality of life for cancer patients from collectivist cultures (e.g., Latino, Asian American, African American). 75 patients and their caregivers participated. The goal was to see if these activities are feasible and might boost emotional well-being.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Behavioral intervention (positive activities: acts of kindness and gratitude letters)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could point toward a simple, low-cost way to improve emotional well-being and quality of life for cancer patients from collectivist backgrounds.
What could go wrong
This is a small feasibility study with only 75 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The activities are simple and may not produce meaningful changes in well-being.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

75 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2021

Finished

Sep 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * PATIENTS: Between 35 -70 years of age * PATIENTS: Within 1-5 years of diagnosis and actively undergoing systemic therapy, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, endocrine and radiation therapies * PATIENTS: Self-identify as ethnically one of the 4 ethnic groups of focus: Asian American, African American, Latino, and European American. For collectivist cultures, will aim to recruit patients of who are first- (i.e., immigrated to United States \[US\]) or second-generation (i.e., children of US residents who immigrated to US) immigrants * PATIENTS: Diagnosed with any type of cancer * PATIENTS: Able to identify a caregiver (e.g., family member) who lives in the same household, and who consents to participate in this study * PATIENTS: Able to read, write, and speak in English * PATIENTS: Access to internet, computer or phone, and web browser * CAREGIVERS: Patient considers them as their caregiver * CAREGIVERS: Lives in the same household as patient * CAREGIVERS: Able to read, write, and speak in English * CAREGIVERS: Access to internet, computer or phone, and web browser * CAREGIVERS: Identifies as the same race/ethnicity group as the patient (e.g., European American wife and European American husband, or Asian American wife and Asian American husband would be pairs that are considered eligible) Exclusion Criteria: * PATIENTS: Life expectancy less than 6 months in the opinion of the primary physician * PATIENTS: Inability to stand and walk on their own or with other physical limitations that preclude them from participating. (3+ on Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group \[ECOG\] performance status) * PATIENTS: Major depression (e.g., as determined by a score of 10 or higher on the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale \[CES-D\] at baseline, out of 30) or diagnosed prior to study (from patient records and/or self-disclosure by patient) * CAREGIVERS: Unwilling or unable to participate in the study for any reason * CAREGIVERS: Under the age of 18

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • M D Anderson Cancer Center

    Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

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