Can spiritual workshops ease Cancer's existential pain?
NCT ID NCT07545291
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests a spiritual health program called PATH for cancer patients struggling with feelings of disconnection, loss of meaning, or existential distress. Twenty adults with any stage of cancer will attend six workshops combining role-playing, psychology, and dignity therapy. The goal is to see if the program is feasible and acceptable, and whether it reduces spiritual distress and improves 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
- Spiritual therapy workshops
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new way to help cancer patients cope with spiritual and existential distress, improving their quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early feasibility study with only 20 participants. It is not designed to prove the therapy works, only that it can be tested. The intervention is subjective and may not help everyone.
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 20 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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Mar 2027
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 years and older
- 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: * Age 18 years of age or older * English speaking * Able to provide informed consent * Current diagnosis of cancer at any stage, engaged in active treatment or surveillance at Fred Hutch Cancer Center * Scores of "Somewhat" or above on at least 1 item the Religious and Spiritual Struggles scale (RSS-5) (e.g., Somewhat = 3 on a 1-to-5 Likert scale) Exclusion Criteria: * Non-oncology Fred Hutch patients
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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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Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium
Seattle, Washington, 98109, United States
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