About the project
Some two million people in the UK are living with or beyond cancer. About a third of these patients report poor quality of life or wellbeing due to problems such as fatigue, fear of cancer recurrence and concerns about returning to work. From talking to patients, this project has found that important aspects of quality of life include physical abilities and psychological wellbeing. It surveyed cancer services to see what aftercare is provided and found it did not address important issues highlighted by patients. Therefore, there is a need for better aftercare for 'cancer survivors'.
Since the best approaches are only moderately effective, the project decided to adopt Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as the research suggested this would provide better aftercare. ACT puts patients’ views about what they value most in their lives at the heart of the therapy, in order to improve their quality of life. ACT helps patients to accept what they cannot change (eg the cancer might recur), and commit themselves to goals they are able – and want – to achieve, based on their own values (eg becoming closer to loved ones). Exercise is helpful and return to work and vocational activity is important to many patients, therefore the project integrated ACT with options for physical activity and work support, if these are deemed important by the patient (thus: ACT+).
This study is being run as a randomised control trial, comparing ACT+ and usual aftercare, with usual aftercare only. It aims to understand if ACT+ with usual aftercare is more effective and cost-effective in improving the quality of life of participants living with and beyond cancer than usual aftercare only.
Funding body
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
Investigators
The randomised control trial is being led by Queen Mary University London and Kings College London, and Damien Ridge has led the three qualitative work packages that support the develop and evaluation of the trial.