NCT07481890

Feasibility and Efficacy of the EMDR Toolbox Method in Cancer Patients.

Recruiting now NA Last updated 2 April 2026

What this trial tests

NA trial testing STANDARD EMDR in Cancer in 46 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

27 March 2026

Primary endpoint
30 November 2027

31 December 2027

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Lega Cancro Ticino
Phase	NA
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	supportive care
Enrollment	46
Start date	27 March 2026
Primary completion	30 November 2027
Estimated completion	31 December 2027
Sites	2 locations across Switzerland

Drugs / interventions tested

• STANDARD EMDR
• EMDR TOOLBOX METHOD

Conditions studied

• Cancer — all drugs for Cancer →
• Psychological Distress — all drugs for Psychological Distress →

Sponsor

Lega Cancro Ticino

Who can join

Adults 18 to 65, any sex, with Cancer or Psychological Distress. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

The incidence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is significantly elevated in patients affected by organic diseases (Riedl, 2020). Adverse childhood experiences include life events such as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; exposure to domestic violence; abandonment; and physical and emotional neglect occurring during early stages of life. One of the primary and most extensively studied mechanisms through which ACEs appear to influence the development of organic diseases across the lifespan is dysregulation of cortisol levels, which acts as a key mediator of increased macro- and microcellular inflammatory processes.

In rhis context, it is important to integrate the standard triage and psychological distress screening interventions routinely provided by psychologists working in clinical liaison psychology services with specialized, evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatments delivered by appropriately trained professionals. Among the range of evidence-based psychotherapies currently available, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) psychotherapy-hereafter referred to as EMDR-was recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2013 and reaffirmed in 2024 as one of the treatments of choice for trauma and the psychophysiological consequences of adverse events.

Since 2015, Manuela Spadoni has systematized the empirical evidence, theoretical concepts, the parts model, and the operational tools of the additional EMDR procedures introduced by Jim Knipe beginning in 2001 into a structured psychotherapeutic approach known as the EMDR Toolbox method. This method appears to be particularly well suited for treating individuals whose clinical history is characterized by multiple adverse experiences.

The present randomized trial aims to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of the EMDR Toolbox Method (ETM) in patients diagnosed with oncological disease.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.