Can a Story-Based Self-Help book ease cancer Patients' anxiety?
NCT ID NCT07236164
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a guided self-help CBT manual called 'Khushi or Khatoon' for cancer patients with anxiety and depression. The manual uses culturally adapted stories and exercises over eight weeks. Researchers will enroll 108 adults in Pakistan to see if the manual is feasible, acceptable, and helpful in reducing distress and improving quality of life.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) manual
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a simple, low-cost way to help cancer patients manage anxiety and depression at home.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage trial (108 people) testing feasibility and preliminary effects. The manual may not work for everyone, and results may not apply to all cancer patients.
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
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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
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About 108 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Dec 2025
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Adults (≥ 18 years) * Clinical diagnosis of cancer * Experiencing moderate to severe psychological distress (HADS score ≥ 8) * Able to read and write the Urdu language * Willing to participate and provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Severe psychiatric conditions requiring immediate intervention/hospitalisation * Cognitive impairments preventing understanding of the manual/therapy * Visual impairments that may prevent the reading of the manual * Already been receiving any psychological therapy
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Pakistan Association of Cognitive Therapists
Lahore, Pakistan
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