NCT01741883

Side Effect Prevention Training (SEPT) for Nocebo Effects in Breast Cancer Patients

Clinical Application of Nocebo Research: Optimizing Expectations of Breast Cancer Patients to Prevent Nocebo Side Effects and Decrease of Quality of Life During Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy (DFG, NE 1635/2-1)

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 165 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Philipps University Marburg · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a side effect prevention training (SEPT) that optimizes patients' response expectations before the start of adjuvant endocrine treatment (AET) to prevent nocebo side effects and enhance quality of life during longer term drug intake.

Detailed description

The majority of breast cancer patients discontinue today's standard adjuvant treatment (endocrine therapy) due to side effects and reduced quality of life. Thereby, most side effects are unspecific, thus, not related to the specific pharmacological action of the drug, but to the individual treatment context and patients´ expectations (nocebo effects). The aim of this study is to evaluate a side effect prevention training (SEPT) that optimizes patients' response expectations before the start of pharmacotherapy to prevent nocebo side effects during longer term drug intake. Using a randomized trial, we will study the time course of response expectations and side effects in breast cancer patients receiving either SEPT, standard medical care or an attention-control intervention ("supportive therapy") before the start of adjuvant endocrine therapy. We will analyze the effects of changing pre-treatment expectations on cancer-treatment related side effects, quality of life and adherence 3 and 6 months after the start of endocrine therapy. Moderator analyses will be used to determine predictors of non-specific medication side effects and patients that are at high risk of experiencing them. Furthermore, we will explore the mediating influence of coping behaviours, thereby providing insights into pathways of clinical nocebo effects. The study findings promise significant advances in the clinical application of nocebo research with strong implications for clinical and research practice.

Conditions

• Female Breast Cancer

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Side effect prevention training (SEPT)	SEPT is aimed to optimize patients' response expectations before the start of pharmacotherapy to prevent nocebo side effects during adjuvant endocrine treatment. SEPT is a three session cognitive-behavioural training. It includes psychoeducation about AET to provide a realistic view on AET, reduction of concerns about side effects and strengthening of necessity beliefs. Further contents are side effect management training and problem solving to enhance self-efficacy expectations about coping as well as imagination training to integrate positive aspects of medication into daily life.
BEHAVIORAL	Attention Control group (ACG)	Supportive therapy includes common or unspecific factors such as elicitation of affect, a treatment context, empathy, reflective listening, and feeling understood. Supportive therapy thus provides a control condition for common factors and therapist attention, while lacking the specific intervention part. It will be delivered in the same frequency and at the same time points as the side effect prevention training (three individual sessions and three booster telephone calls).

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-11-01
• Primary completion: 2015-12-01
• Completion: 2020-08-01
• First posted: 2012-12-05
• Last updated: 2017-09-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany