Peer-to-Peer Support Program in Improving Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients With Gynecologic Cancer and Their Caregivers

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To test the feasibility and acceptability of a Woman-to-Woman (W2W) program for patients with gynecologic cancer at City of Hope (COH). Address the following descriptive research questions: were patients, mentors, and patients' family caregivers satisfied with the timing, format, and content of the program? Did the program benefit patients, mentors, and patients' family caregivers?

OUTLINE:

Patients participate in the W2W program for which they are matched with a trained mentor and followed throughout treatment by phone, email, and/or in person.

After completion of study, patients are followed up at 6 and 12 months.

• Supportive Care (Procedure), also known as Supportive Therapy, Symptom Management, Therapy, Supportive: Complete W2W mentoring program
• Quality-of-Life Assessment (Other), also known as Quality of Life Assessment: Complete the FACT-G
• Questionnaire Administration (Other): Complete the W2W Patient Survey

Primary outcomes

• Change in quality of life benefits for patients, as assessed by the FACT-G [Baseline to up to 12 months]: Changes from baseline will be tested using paired t-tests. Data will be summarized using descriptive statistics, including means for normally distributed continuous data, medians for non-normally distributed continuous data or proportions for categorical data. Established instruments will be scored according to standard instructions, and appropriate descriptive statistics computed. Written comments from all open ended questions analyzed using content analysis methods.
• Satisfaction of patients with the timing, content, and format of the program, as assessed by the W2W Patient Survey [Up to 12 months]: Changes from baseline will be tested using paired t-tests. Descriptive statistics on participants' satisfaction with the timing, content, and format of the intervention will be presented through summary statistics of data from the satisfaction tools. Data will be summarized using descriptive statistics, including means for normally distributed continuous data, medians for non-normally distributed continuous data or proportions for categorical data.
• Satisfaction of mentors with the timing, content, and format of the program, as assessed by the W2W Volunteer/Mentor Survey [Up to 12 months]: Descriptive statistics on participants' satisfaction with the timing, content, and format of the intervention will be presented through summary statistics of data from the satisfaction tools.
• Satisfaction of patients' family caregivers with the timing, content, and format of the program [Up to 12 months]: Changes from baseline will be tested using paired t-tests. Descriptive statistics on participants' satisfaction with the timing, content, and format of the intervention will be presented through summary statistics of data from the satisfaction tools.
• Benefits for patients' family caregivers after participating in the program, as assessed by the Modified Caregiver Strain Index [Up to 12 months]: Data will be summarized using descriptive statistics, including means for normally distributed continuous data, medians for non-normally distributed continuous data or proportions for categorical data. Established instruments will be scored according to standard instructions, and appropriate descriptive statistics computed. Written comments from all open ended questions analyzed using content analysis methods.

Sex: Female, ages: 19 Years to any, accepts healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

* PATIENT PARTICIPANTS
* Patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent gynecologic cancer (ovarian, uterine, cervical, vaginal, vulvar) actively undergoing treatment (chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation therapy) at COH (including Duarte and South Pasadena campuses)
* English-speaking patients
* PEER MENTORS
* Peer mentors will be past gynecologic cancer patients not currently undergoing treatment for their cancer, and considered without evidence of disease
* Over age 18
* PEER MENTORS: English-speaking patients
* This study is open to patients of all races and ethnicities

Exclusion Criteria:

* PEER MENTORS:
* Major psychiatric disease
* Currently undergoing treatment for active gynecologic cancer

• Thanh Dellinger, MD, Principal investigator, City of Hope Medical Center