Cancer Center-based Survivorship Research Projects

Health & Wellness After Cancer Diagnosis

Cancer Rehabilitation for Low Income and Hispanic Breast Cancer Patients (Project REGAIN) 

This project is a vanguard study to test the effectiveness of a comprehensive cancer rehabilitation program to reduce morbidity and improve quality of life among low-income and Hispanic breast cancer survivors. A key component of this  program will be physical activity, which has been shown to have potential benefits for cancer survivors both during and after treatment. Several challenges faced by breast cancer survivors, such as fatigue, arm pain, and distress are especially well suited to benefit from exercise.

Community Project REGAIN

The Community REGAIN Project at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center addresses well-documented racial and ethnic disparities in cancer survival through the targeted delivery and uptake of a rehabilitation program for minority cancer survivors in the Denver metropolitan area.  The objective of this program is to improve the quality of life of cancer survivors, particularly minority and underserved groups through preventive services, education and support.  This program will implement the Summit Exercise Program, which has previously served only female breast cancer patients, and actively recruits cancer survivors who might not normally be aware of these services.

Quality of Life and Service Needs for Lymphoma/Leukemia Cancer Survivors

This study will provide information about the impact of cancer on quality of life and service needs of adult survivors of Leukemia and Lymphoma across the lifespan. The overarching purpose of the study is to develop a psychosocial intervention for survivors who are transitioning between the re-entry and long-term phases of survivorship. The first aim is to assess the quality of life and service needs of adult Leukemia and Lymphoma with attention to interruptions of lifespan developmental tasks. The second aim is to design an intervention to support successful adjustment and quality of life outcomes across the lifespan and survivorship trajectories. Research will be conducted in five phases, using a multi-method approach, culminating with application for funding to pilot-test the intervention.

SUNSHINE Study

This project will follow 1,100 women who participated in a study of breast cancer in Colorado and Arizona. The purpose is to describe health behaviors after cancer diagnosis that have important implications for survival, such as weight control and adherence to medical care.  Little is known about health behaviors after diagnosis, particularly among Hispanic women. The results of this study can be used to design future interventions to improve the cancer survivorship experience.

Support by Telephone for Elderly Caregivers in Hospice (Support TECH)

Counselor-initiated telephone calls are targeted towards improving the functioning and quality of life among elderly caregivers of cancer patients enrolled in home-based hospice care. These calls will address standardized topics targeted to caregivers at strategic points during the course of hospice care.

Telephone Counseling Intervention for Head and Neck Cancer

This study targets individuals newly diagnosed with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck and who are receiving treatment at UCCC. It will study the use of telephone counseling to improve symptom management and psychosocial care. This program will utilize counselor-initiated telephone calls to patients prior to, during and following cancer treatment.

Patient Navigation Decision-making Support

CARES: An Innovative Breast Cancer Case Management for the Underserved

Adjustment to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer is a complex process that unfolds over time, with medical, psychological, social, and functional factors impacted differentially through the course of care and follow-up. This is especially true for low-income women with breast cancer. This study will design a multi-disciplinary case management program that will integrate on-site navigation and counselor-initiated phone calls along with the nurse-orientated case management, for patients at strategic points before, during and after breast cancer treatment.

Cancer Information Service Research Consortium

Two health communication interventions will be tested for efficacy across three groups of cancer patients who call the Cancer Information Service (1-800-4-CANCER):

• newly diagnosed prostate (Project 1) and breast (Project 2) cancer patients
• breast cancer patients at re-entry (Project 3).

These two interventions include:

• an innovative and highly interactive multimedia program
• an equally innovative telephone callback intervention conducted by CIS Information Specialists (Project 3).

Both interventions share the common theme of helping these three target populations prepare for their on-going cancer experience (e.g. cancer-treatment decision-making and preparation for treatment, Projects 1 and 2; life after breast cancer, Project 3).

Project SOL (Survivorship Outreach to Latinas)

Project SOL is an outreach support program to improve community-based services for Spanish-speaking women with breast cancer in Colorado. Project SOL has conducted two breast cancer survival conferences for Hispanics, joining over 100 providers and survivors in Colorado to identify and meet the needs of this vulnerable group of cancer patients. Local navigation assistance through this program to the underserved through our hospital-based and community-wide network of navigators and peer advisors.

Cross-cutting Cancer Survivorship Issues

Cancer and Aging

The goal of this project is to improve symptom management and psychosocial care among elderly cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment at UCCC. Counselor-initiated telephone calls will be made to patients and their caregivers while they are undergoing their treatment.

Greater Denver Latino/a Cancer Prevention and Control Network

This projects links 30 Latino community based organizations in 10 Colorado counties, representing 80 percent of all Colorado Latinos and 83 percent of all Latino cancer cases. The Network will be composed of health clinics and agencies serving Latinos including Denver Health Medical Center , UCCC, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Disease Prevention Division, and La Salud Health Clinics. Activities include efforts in awareness, prevention, early detection, and survivorship of breast, cervical, prostate, lung (including smoking cessation) and colorectal cancers. 

C-STEPS: Cancer Survivor Telephone Education and Personal Support

Part of the Lance Armstrong Center of Excellence Program

The Cancer Information and Counseling Line (CICL) at the University of Colorado Cancer Center is piloting a new and enhanced model for service delivery. Telephone counselors will make scheduled outcalls to 300 cancer survivors throughout in Colorado. These calls will be based around common themes during re-entry and survivorship such as

• living with uncertainty
• symptom management post-treatment
• behavioral and lifestyle education and counseling appropriate for cancer survivors

Eligible cancer survivors will be from UCCC and our collaborating centers: 

• Denver Health Medical Center
• St. Mary Corwin, Pueblo
• St. Mary’s Hospital

Cancer survivors will be approached on-site at UCCC and the other collaborating centers at their last treatment visit or during a follow-up oncology visit, and invited to participate in this program.