Photo Credit: Jacob Wackerhausen

The following is a summary of “Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of Brief Behavioral Activation Among Older Adult Cancer Survivors,” published in the February 2024 issue of Oncology by Saracino et al.

Depression affects a significant proportion of older adult cancer survivors (OACS), with up to 35% experiencing clinically significant symptoms. Factors such as fatigue, cognitive impairment, and medical comorbidities post-cancer contribute to their vulnerability to depression. Behavioral activation (BA), a well-established treatment for depression in older adults, focuses on reintroducing enjoyable activities into daily life and holds promise for addressing the needs of OACS. This manuscript outlines the protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effectiveness of a brief BA intervention tailored specifically for OACS (BBA-OACS) and delivered via telephone and videoconference.

The RCT will take place at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York City, with participants randomly assigned to receive either BA or supportive psychotherapy (SP) as a standard control intervention. BA involves 10 weekly sessions covering psychoeducation on depression, life areas assessment, activity scheduling, and mood monitoring. SP consists of 10 weekly sessions offering reassurance, guidance, and support. Eligible participants, OACS fluent in English and able to communicate via telephone or videoconference, will be recruited from MSK Survivorship Clinics across various cancer types. The study aims to recruit 70 participants, primarily focusing on assessing BA’s implementation outcomes (acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity) compared to SP. Secondary objectives include evaluating the preliminary effects of BA on depressive symptoms (primary outcome), anxiety, coping strategies, and activity levels (secondary outcomes) relative to SP. Participants will complete surveys before and after the intervention.

The successful implementation of BBA-OACS would provide frontline clinicians with an evidence-based treatment option for this vulnerable population. Subsequent research will assess BA’s efficacy in larger trials and its impact on depression and other health-related outcomes among OACS.

 Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1879406824000171