End of LifeNCT06293456
Study of Poetic Dignity Therapy for Sexual and Gender Minority Patients With Cancer
A study testing Dignity Therapy in people with End of Life, run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 7 sites in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to find out if dignity therapy is practical and works well for sexual and gender minority (SGM) patients in MSK. SGM includes, but is not limited to, people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer/questioning (LGBTQ+). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- End of Life
- What is being tested?
- Dignity Therapy
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 15 participants
- Where
- 7 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 29 Jan 2024to Jan 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- SGM (as per self-report) palliative care patients identified through Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Palliative Care team and primary solid tumor oncology clinics.
- Age 18 and older (as per self-report/EHR)
- English-speaking as per the English language assessment items below and wil ing to receive the intervention in English.
- o What is the participant's preferred language?
- (Specify Lang)___________________________
- How well does the participant speak English?
Show all 10Show fewer
- Very well (PARTICIPANT IS ELIGIBLE)
- Well (PARTICIPANT is ELIGIBLE)
- Not well (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
- Not at all (PARTICIPANT is NOT ELIGIBLE)
Who cannot join
- Delirium/ altered mental status prohibitive of providing consent.
Trial locations and contacts
7 sites in 1 country.
7 sites in 1 country
United States7 sites
Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Consent only)
Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920
Memorial Sloan Kettering Suffolk- Commack (Consent Only)
Commack, New York, 11725
Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester (Consent only)
Harrison, New York, 10604
Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth (Consent Only)
Middletown, New Jersey, 07748
Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen (Consent Only)
Montvale, New Jersey, 07645
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York, 10065
Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau (Consent Only)
Uniondale, New York, 11553
About this study
Official title: An Open Trial of a Novel Poetic Dignity Therapy Intervention to Enhance Meaning and Purpose for Sexual and Gender Minority Patients With Cancer
The purpose of this study is to find out if dignity therapy is practical and works well for sexual and gender minority (SGM) patients in MSK. SGM includes, but is not limited to, people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer/questioning (LGBTQ+). Dignity therapy is a type of psychotherapy where the clinician asks the patient questions to allow the patient to express their individual life story and ultimately be able to create a legacy document of their experiences that can be shared with their loved ones.
- Conditions
- End of Life
- Being tested
- Dignity Therapy
- Keywords
- Dignity Therapy (DT), End of Life (EOL)
- Medical subject headings
- Death
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Dignity TherapyOther
A trained research staff member will conduct the DT interview virtually. The interview will occur or by phone only if the participant lacks access to technology for videoconferencing. The interviewer asks a series of open-ended questions that encourages patients to talk about their lives and what matters most to them.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Dignity Therapy | Experimental | The DT intervention is a 45-75-minute virtual interview, which is recorded and transcribed within 1-2 weeks of the interview. Receives: Other: Dignity Therapy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
the number of patients who complete the intervention
This requires meeting both of the following criteria: i) collection of the DT Interview for 30 patients; and ii) delivery of the poem to at least 22 (>75%) participants.
Measured: 1 year
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 Mar 2024
- Study start29 Jan 2024
- Primary completionJan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionJan 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for End of LifeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 15 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- William E Rosa, Ph.D., MBE, NP, Principal investigator, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06293456
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 23-360
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 27 Feb 2024
- Last updated
- 8 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center supports the international committee of medical journal editors (ICMJE) and the ethical obligation of responsible sharing of data from clinical trials. The protocol summary, a statistical summary, and informed consent form will be made available on clinicaltrials.gov when required as a condition of Federal awards, other agreements supporting the research and/or as otherwise required. Requests for deidentified individual participant data can be made beginning 12 months after publication and for up to 36 months post publication. Deidentified individual participant data reported in the manuscript will be shared under the terms of a Data Use Agreement and may only be used for approved proposals. Requests may be made to: crdatashare@mskcc.org.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- An Open Trial of a Novel Poetic Dignity Therapy Intervention to Enhance Meaning and Purpose for Sexual and Gender Minority Patients With Cancer
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06293456
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 23-360
- Conditions
- End of Life
- Keywords
- Dignity Therapy (DT), End of Life (EOL)
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 15 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 29 Jan 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jan 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 5 Mar 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to find out if dignity therapy is practical and works well for sexual and gender minority (SGM) patients in MSK. SGM includes, but is not limited to, people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer/questioning (LGBTQ+). Dignity therapy is a type of psychotherapy where the clinician asks the patient questions to allow the patient to express their individual life story and ultimately be able to create a legacy document of their experiences that can be shared with their loved ones.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Dignity Therapy | Experimental | Other: Dignity TherapyThe DT intervention is a 45-75-minute virtual interview, which is recorded and transcribed within 1-2 weeks of the interview. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (10 listed)
- SGM (as per self-report) palliative care patients identified through Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Palliative Care team and primary solid tumor oncology clinics.
- Age 18 and older (as per self-report/EHR)
- English-speaking as per the English language assessment items below and wil ing to receive the intervention in English.
- o What is the participant's preferred language?
- (Specify Lang)___________________________
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Delirium/ altered mental status prohibitive of providing consent.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Dignity TherapyA trained research staff member will conduct the DT interview virtually. The interview will occur or by phone only if the participant lacks access to technology for videoconferencing. The interviewer asks a series of open-ended questions that encourages patients to talk about their lives and what matters most to them. | Other | Dignity Therapy |
Primary outcome
the number of patients who complete the intervention
Time frame: 1 year
This requires meeting both of the following criteria: i) collection of the DT Interview for 30 patients; and ii) delivery of the poem to at least 22 (>75%) participants.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 8 Sep 2026.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center supports the international committee of medical journal editors (ICMJE) and the ethical obligation of responsible sharing of data from clinical trials. The protocol summary, a statistical summary, and informed consent form will be made available on clinicaltrials.gov when required as a condition of Federal awards, other agreements supporting the research and/or as otherwise required. Requests for deidentified individual participant data can be made beginning 12 months after publication and for up to 36 months post publication. Deidentified individual participant data reported in the manuscript will be shared under the terms of a Data Use Agreement and may only be used for approved proposals. Requests may be made to: crdatashare@mskcc.org.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
William E Rosa, Ph.D., MBE, NP principal investigator
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
7 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Dignity Therapy in people with End of Life, run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 7 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 10 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 7 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
the number of patients who complete the intervention (time frame: 1 year). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Sep 2026.