Enhanced Pain Coping in Cancer (EPIC): A Study of Managing Treatment-Related Joint Pain in Breast Cancer Survivors
🩺 Protocol Summary
The researchers are doing this study to compare two different types of group therapy and find out whether they are effective approaches for helping breast cancer survivors manage joint pain caused by aromatase inhibitors (AI). This type of joint pain is called AI-associated arthralgia, or AIA, and it is common in people taking AIs. AIA and its associated symptoms can make some people decide to stop taking their medication. The study will look at the effects of two different types of group therapy on participants' cancer-related symptoms (such as pain, fatigue, and anxiety), their ability to continue taking AIs on a regular schedule, and their quality of life. We will measure participants' quality of life by having them fill out questionnaires. Both groups will have 2-hour group therapy sessions once a week, over the course of 8 weeks. During the sessions, you will be in a group of 6-10 participants, who may be a mixture of patients from both MSK and University of California San Diego (UCSD).
Primary Research Facility: University of California San Diego (Data collection and Data analysis) (San Diego, California)
📋 Preliminary Self-Screener
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📍 Primary Site Map
Site: University of California San Diego (Data collection and Data analysis) — San Diego, California
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (9 Sites)
Multi-Center TrialThis protocol is enrolling participants across multiple clinical centers:
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💰 Clinical Trial Costs & Insurance Coverage
Coverage for clinical trial participation varies depending on your health insurance policy, state legislation, and whether specific procedures are investigational research or routine medical care. Under federal law (Affordable Care Act § 2709), health insurers generally cannot drop coverage or refuse to pay for routine patient care costs incurred in approved clinical trials.
💡 Always ask the study coordinator for the trial's official Informed Consent Form, which outlines all sponsor-funded research items versus procedures billed to your insurance.