I got a notice from the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami about a clinical trial that they are participating in. It's for Follicular Lymphoma patients, but it's not for a new treatment. It's for survivorship.
The trial is called "SMART 3RP Lymphoma: Increasing Resiliency Among Early Post-Treatment Lymphoma Survivors" (the official write up at ClinicalTrials.gov is here).
The article from the Miller School gives a nice description of the trial and what it hopes to accomplish. The .gov site gives a summary: "The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a mind body resilience group program can help increase lymphoma survivors' ability to cope with and manage the challenges that come with the transition into early post treatment survivorship."
So I suppose, in a way, this is about "treatment," but it treating the emotional side effects of the disease rather than the disease itself. It will teach some ways to deal with being a survivor, not a patient. It will help the study participants "manage stress, strengthen coping and improve day-to-day quality of life."
"Resilience" is an interesting thing. One of the HealtheVoices conferences I went to a few years ago featured a talk about resilience. It's the ability to 'bounce back" after encountering problems, and it's a skill that can be learned (rather than a part of one's personality). As one of the survivorship experts at Miller says in the article, "“Resilience isn’t a trait you either have or don’t,” said Frank Penedo, Ph.D., associate director for population sciences, the Sylvester DCC Living Proof Endowed Chair in Cancer Survivorship and director of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute. Dr. Penedo is site principal investigator at Sylvester. “It’s a skill set, like learning to play a musical instrument. With guided education and practice, survivors can make everyday stress more manageable and restore confidence in their ability to manage their recovery.”
The trial will involve 250 patients who have had treatment for lymphoma within 5 years. (It doesn't specify particular types, so I am assuming FL is included.) Half of the participants will take part in eight videoconferences lasting 90 minutes each, where they will learn about three different resilience practices: Mind–body practices like guided imagery, mindfulness, and yoga, bring about a “relaxation response”; cognitive behavioral strategies to identify and reframe negative thoughts; and positive psychology to help with personal growth, social support and healthy behaviors. To compare the results of this practice, the other half of the group will also get some help -- a Health Education Program (HEP) that focuses on health behavior education and self-monitoring. The researchers who designed the study think the SMART 3RP folks will have an even greater Quality of Life than the other group, though both should get some benefit.
The official .gov site says that recruiting would begin on January 1, 2026, though it also says that recruiting hasn't started yet. It also says that the study will only take place at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. However, the Miller School article says it will take place at 3 sites -- Mass General, The Miller School/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Institute in Miami, and the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. (It also says the participants should be within 2 years of treatment, not 5 years.)
So if you live near one of those three sites, consider looking into the trial. The Hospital of Cancer Center website probably has a page devoted to clinical trials, and you can find out more there. Or ask your oncologist. I know some patients are hesitant to go into a trial, and that's OK. But this one seems like the potential benefits are far greater than the risks.
I'm excited about this trial because it recognizes the importance of survivorship, something I have been more and more interested in the farther I get from my own treatment experience. For a disease like FL, where we might live for decades after treatment, or we might need multiple treatments over the years, or we might just need to learn to live with cancer in our bodies, a focus on survivorship is crucial, and a trial that takes it seriously is a wonderful thing.
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