Efficacy of the Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully ( CALM ) individual psychotherapy for patients with advanced cancer: A single‐blind randomized controlled trial
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether the Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) therapy is superior to a non-manualized supportive psycho-oncological counselling intervention (SPI). METHODS: Adult patients with advanced cancer and ≥9 points on the PHQ-9 and/or ≥5 points on the DT were randomized to CALM or SPI. We hypothesized that CALM patients would report significantly less depression (primary outcome) on the BDI-II and the PHQ-9 6 months after baseline compared to SPI patients. RESULTS: From 329 eligible patients, 206 participated (61.2% female; age: M = 57.9 [SD = 11.7]; 84.5% UICC IV stage). Of them, 99 were assigned to CALM and 107 to SPI. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed significantly less depressive symptoms at 6 months than at baseline (P < .001 for BDI-II and PHQ-9), but participants in the CALM and SPI group did not differ in depression severity (BDI-II: P = .62, PHQ-9: P = .998). Group differences on secondary outcomes were statistically not significant either. CONCLUSIONS: CALM therapy was associated with reduction in depressive symptoms over time but this improvement was not statistically significant different than that obtained within SPI group.
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The basis of dignity therapy and other interventions such as Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) rests on the centrality of finding a sense of meaning or purpose in one's life through narrative storytelling and interpersonal connection.
“The basis of dignity therapy (Chochinov 2007) and other interventions such as Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) (Mehnert et al. 2020) rests on the centrality of finding a sense of meaning or purpose in one's life through narrative storytelling and interpersonal connection.”
From Psychosocial and Integrative Oncology: Interventions Across the Disease Trajectory. (2023) · cites this paper as Mehnert et al. 2020
The Clinical implications section (page unavailable) lists meaning and purpose and changes in relationships with others among CALM’s four domains. The paper does not describe narrative storytelling as CALM’s basis, so that part of the attributed claim is unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPatients are recommended various forms of psychotherapy such as relaxation, guided imagery, mindfulness meditation, music therapy, occupational therapy, and breathing exercises.
“Patients are also recommended various forms of psychotherapy [10,11,12], such as relaxation and guided imagery [13,14], mindfulness meditation (mindfulness-based stress reduction) [14], music therapy [15,16], occupational therapy [17,18,19], and breathing exercises [20,21,22].”
From The Effect of Vinyasa Yoga Practice on the Well-Being of Breast-Cancer Patients during COVID-19 Pandemic (2023) · cites this paper as [10]
When CALM was compared in another RCT to supportive counseling, the beneficial effects were similar.
“However, when compared in another RCT to supportive counseling, the beneficial effects were similar”
From Psychosocial and Integrative Oncology: Interventions Across the Disease Trajectory. (2023) · cites this paper as Mehnert et al. 2020
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References 40 · Cited by 47
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Scheffold K, Engelmann D, Schulz-Kindermann F, et al. Managing can- cer and living meaningfully. Psychotherapeut. 2017;62(3):243-248.
- Mehnert A, Müller D, Lehmann C, Koch U. Die deutsche Version des NCCN Distress-Thermometers. Z Psychiatr Psychol Psychother. 2006; 54(3):213-223.
- Chang VT, Hwang SS, Feuerman M, Kasimis BS, Thaler HT. The memorial symptom assessment scale short form (MSAS-SF). Cancer. 2000;89(5):1162-1171.
- Authors
- Mehnert, A., Koranyi, S., Philipp, R., Scheffold, K., Kriston, L., Lehmann‐Laue, A., Engelmann, D., Vehling, S., Eisenecker, C., Oechsle, K., Schulz‐Kindermann, F., Rodin, G., & Härter, M.
- Affiliations
- University Hospital Leipzig (DE)
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (DE)
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Mehnert, Anja
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psycho-Oncology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2020-09-14
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1895-1904
- ISSN
- 1057-9249 (ISSN-L)
- 1099-1611
- OpenAlex
- W3080316636
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 1.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Psycho-Oncology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Deutsche Krebshilfe (109967, 110746)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- individual psychotherapy, advanced cancer, depression, depressive symptoms, meaning in life, psychological intervention
- MeSH terms
- Psycho-Oncology, Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Attitude to Death, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasms, Palliative Care, Psychotherapy, Psychotherapy, Brief, Stress, Psychological, Single-Blind Method, Treatment Outcome
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