NCT07167056

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Support For Quality Of Life Improvement In Participants With Cancer

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Support For Quality Of Life Improvement In Patients With Cancer

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Case Comprehensive Cancer Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This research study is for people who are diagnosed with cancer and are receiving treatment for cancer who may benefit from psychotherapy. The purpose of the study is to see whether an artificial intelligence (AI) powered application (app) could help improve quality of life, anxiety symptoms, and/or depression symptoms, over the course of psychotherapy sessions. Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive psychotherapy per usual care and will receive access to the AI-powered app. The second group will only receive psychotherapy per usual care and will NOT receive access to the AI-powered app. Both groups will complete surveys about their quality of life, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms over the course of their psychotherapy visits.

Detailed description

Getting a cancer diagnoses and going through treatment can be difficult and lead to symptoms of distress, like anxiety and depression. Feeling distressed or upset can make people with cancer feel worse and potentially shorten how long they live. Because of this, it is important to address the distress that people with cancer may feel in order to improve their well-being. Treatments that don't use medication, like psychotherapy ("talk therapy), relaxation techniques, and mindfulness, can help reduce distress in people with cancer. However, some people do not have access to these types of things, and mental health care overall can be limited by financial, logistical, and geographical barriers. One solution to these barriers could be artificial intelligence (AI)-powered interventions using mobile applications (apps) on someone's phone. AI tools, like chatbots, can provide personal support. They can use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness to provide support. They can also provide tools to track someone's mood. AI tools do not replace a diagnosis from a doctor or treatment from a doctor or other clinical care provider. However, these tools could still support and help to improve someone's mental health and well-being. People who have studied this have found that this day-to-day support has decreased anxiety and depression in the general population. However, the use of AI tools to support mental health in people with cancer is not yet well studied. WYSA is an AI-powered chatbot that uses evidence-based techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness. For the purposes of this study, WYSA will be used in addition to standard of care psychotherapy. WYSA will not replace psychotherapy care in this study, and it will not replace a doctor's advice or diagnoses.

Conditions

• Cancer

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Standard of Care Psychotherapy	Participants will receive six psychotherapy sessions over the course of approximately 3 months.
BEHAVIORAL	WYSA App	Participants will have access to the WYSA mental health support artificial intelligence app over the course of the 3 months that they are participating in psychotherapy sessions per standard of care. The app will contain features intended to manage symptoms of depression and anxiety in individuals with cancer. The app will include an AI-powered chatbot with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques, visual progress elements (a progress roadmap, a weekly progress report, etc.), and a customizable tool library. Participants are instructed to use the app whenever they feel like it, if they are in distress, or if the app prompts them to use it. App prompts (notifications) will occur once daily.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-11-17
• Primary completion: 2026-04-15
• Completion: 2027-01-15
• First posted: 2025-09-11
• Last updated: 2025-11-28

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States