Can mindfulness together ease the burden of advanced cancer?
NCT ID NCT07759921
First seen Aug 12, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This pilot trial explores whether a couple-based mindfulness program, called Mindful PaCT, is practical and helpful for people with metastatic colorectal cancer and their partners. The program involves four weekly video sessions that teach mindfulness skills like awareness, acceptance, compassion, and connection. The study will measure how many couples join and complete the program, and how satisfied they are with it. The goal is to see if this approach can reduce distress and improve coping for both patients and their loved ones.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Couple-based mindfulness intervention (Mindful PaCT)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this program could offer a practical way to reduce emotional distress and strengthen coping for couples facing advanced cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study focused on feasibility, not effectiveness. Results may not generalize, and the intervention requires time and commitment from both partners.
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 90 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Dec 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2030
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 85 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Provision to sign and date the consent form. * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and be available for the duration of the study. * Be aged \> 18 years to 85. * Fluent in English language. All study materials, including the informed consent form, participant workbooks, and questionnaires, are currently available only in English. Participation requires the ability to independently read and engage with written study materials (including the participant workbook), which are integral to the intervention session content and home practices. Therefore, individuals who are unable to read study materials in English are not eligible to participate. At this time, the intervention has not been translated or validated in other languages, therefore participation is limited to individuals who can read, speak, and understand English to ensure that participants are able to fully engage with study activities. * Be a person (i.e., patient) diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) or a partner (e.g., spouse) of someone diagnosed with mCRC. * Indicates a score \>0 on the Distress Thermometer * Has access to computer/internet through with video-conferencing (phone, laptop, tablet, desktop computer) Additional eligibility criteria include: Additional patient participant inclusion criteria: * Has a current diagnosis of metastatic (Stage IV, recurrent) colorectal cancer * Has an ECOG status \<2 or otherwise deemed appropriate for study participation by a clinician * Is in a committed relationship with a romantic partner for \>6 months. Monogamy is not required for eligibility; however, in cases of polyamorous relationships, the patient will designate a primary partner for participation in the study. Additional partner participant inclusion criteria: • Has been in a committed relationship \>6 months with a patient who meets the above eligibility criteria Eligibility for relationship status will be self-reported by participants during recruitment. Exclusion Criteria: * One or both members of the couple has an active or poorly controlled serious mental illness (e.g., psychotic disorder), cognitive impairment (e.g., dementia), or medical condition (e.g., significant impaired sight/hearing) that would compromise participation. * The couple is currently in active couples (e.g., marital) therapy together. Participants who are physically or mentally too ill to participate or those with major cognitive impairments are excluded because they may not be able to engage with intervention sessions, surveys. No exclusions will be made based on sexual orientation, race, gender, or other sociodemographic features. Because patients with mCRC are living longer, and patients and partners can experience distress at various times since their diagnosis, we do not limit participation by time since diagnosis.
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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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University of Colorado Hospital
RECRUITINGAurora, Colorado, 80045, United States
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