Information

This section is for people who want to find out more about the study aims and what is involved in taking part.

What is the CanTalk Study?

The CanTalk Study compares the benefits of a talking therapy (CBT) with usual care for helping low mood in people who are receiving treatments to control their cancer.

What is CBT?

CBT is short for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It helps you challenge your negative thoughts and unhelpful ways of coping.

What will the results be used for?

This study will help us understand how to best manage low mood in cancer.

What is a Randomised Control Trial (RCT)?

Information about Randomised Control Trial

You will be placed in one of the groups by computer (see below). We will not know which treatment you will be given in advance. It is important that throughout the study you do not let the UCL researchers know which group you are in.

• Usual care
• The addition of CBT to usual care

What does the CanTalk Study involve?

A researcher will meet with you to gather a bit more information to see if taking part may help you. For those offered CBT, you will see a specialist for up to an hour. A total of 12 sessions will be offered flexibly over 12 weeks.

Everyone taking part will be asked to answer brief questions at 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks after entering the study either in the GP practice, at home, or over the phone.

Should I take part in the trial?

Like any decision you make, deciding to take part in a clinical trial needs to be made as an informed decision based on the evidence made available to you. There are both benefits and risks to taking part in a clinical trial so you should take your time in making the decision and consider some of the points below.

The possible benefits of being in a trial include:

• getting additional CBT could improve your quality of life
• helping to improve psychological care for future people suffering with cancer
• increasing our understanding of the psychological needs of people with cancer

To weigh against these benefits, you should consider:

• you will have to make trips to the IAPT center or to meet the researcher which can be inconvenient
• you will be asked to complete some paperwork, such as questionnaires about your mood and quality of life. These are really useful for the research may but might take a time to complete. 

Will I be asked to join the trial?

If you have advanced cancer you may be approached by your doctor or nurse about the possibility of participating in in the CanTalk study. You should make sure the trial is suitable for you before you decide to take part.