Patients assigned to intervention group receive an 8-week EFT-program

Patients assigned to control group are placed on a waitlist for a period of 8 weeks

Emotional Freedom Techniques

Philip R Debruyne, MD, PhD, MSc, FRCP

The aim of this study is to further validate the CDT as a screening tool for identifying elderly cancer patients in need of a more in-depth cognitive evaluation within comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and to validate the pre-defined cut-off score of ≤ 4 according to the Freund scoring system. All geriatric patients that are diagnosed with cancer will be screened by the oncology clinical nurse specialists attached to the respective multi-disciplinary clinics with the VES-13 and G8 questionnaire. Patients that screen positive, will be offered referral to the multi-disciplinary onco-geriatric program where a member of the research team will implement a full geriatric evaluation under supervision of the medical oncologist and/or geriatrician who will then formulate recommendations and might suggest referral to other health care providers. Individual results and survival data of all the patients that have given their informed consent will be registered in a database.

In this trial the investigators aim to establish whether Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can reduce cognitive complaints in cancer survivors. All consenting patients aged 18 years or above, who have been diagnosed with a solid tumour of hematologic malignancy and who have completed or are in the late phase of a chemotherapy, radiotherapy, anti-hormonal or targeted therapy treatment, can participate in this trial. Patients should suffer from subjective cognitive complaints based on a score of 43 or more on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (CFQ). These patients will be randomly assigned to either the control or intervention group. Patients in the intervention group will be scheduled to receive an 8-week EFT intervention program. Other patients will be placed on an 8-week wait list after which patients will also start the EFT program.

Emotional Freedom Techniques to Reduce Patient Reported Cognitive Complaints in Cancer Survivors

A Randomized Wait-list Controlled Trial on the Use of Emotional Freedom Techniques as an Intervention Strategy to Reduce Patient Reported Cognitive Complaints in Cancer Survivors on Behalf of the Belgian Society for Medical Oncology (BSMO)-Cancer Survivorship Taskforce

Score of \<43 on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 100; Higher scores mean worse outcome

Reduction in score on FACIT Fatigue scale ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 52; Higher scores mean worse outcome

Reduction in the score on the Distress Thermometer ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 10; Higher scores mean worse outcome

Reduction in score on Beck Depression Inventory II ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 63; Higher scores mean worse outcome

Improvement of the scores on the Global Health scale, functional scale and symptom scale ; Minimum value: 30; Maximum value: 126; Higher scores mean better outcome

Improvement on the score on the EQ-5D-3L; Minimum value: -0.285; Maximum value: 1; Higher scores mean better outcome

Number of cancer survivors presenting with cognitive complaints as measured by Cognitive Failure Questionnaire

Interaction effect of age and score on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 100; Higher scores mean worse outcome; cut-off at score of 43 on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire

Interaction effect of gender and score on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 100; Higher scores mean worse outcome; cut-off at score of 43 on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire

Interaction effect of distress and score on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 100; Higher scores mean worse outcome; cut-off at score of 43 on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire

Interaction effect of fatigue and score on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 100; Higher scores mean worse outcome; cut-off at score of 43 on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire

Interaction effect of cancer type and score on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 100; Higher scores mean worse outcome; cut-off at score of 43 on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire

Interaction effect of cancer stage and score on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 100; Higher scores mean worse outcome; cut-off at score of 43 on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire

Interaction effect of treatment and score on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire ; Minimum value: 0; Maximum value: 100; Higher scores mean worse outcome; cut-off at score of 43 on the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire

Study title	NCT ID	Conditions	Interventions	Eligibility	Organization	Link
Emotional Freedom Techniques to Reduce Patient Reported Cognitive Complaints in Cancer Survivors	NCT02771028	Subjective Cogn... Cancer	Emotional Freed...	18 Years -	General Hospital Groeninge
Emotional Freedom Techniques to Reduce Patient Reported Cognitive Complaints in Cancer Survivors	NCT02771028	Subjective Cogn... Cancer	Emotional Freed...	18 Years -	General Hospital Groeninge

Spots Global Cancer Trial Database for subjective cognitive complaints