An interventional study of INSPIRE in Dyspnea and Lung Cancer (Diagnosis), sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-29.
Sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
Patients with lung cancer often experience shortness of breath, also known as dyspnea. It affects over 80% of patients with lung cancer at diagnosis and is linked to poorer quality of life and functioning. Unfortunately, current treatments-such as opioids, which are the most studied treatment for dyspnea-fail to provide patients with adequate care, and dyspnea can remain a chronic issue in many. Even when new treatments are developed, the benefit to public health is often limited by healthcare systems not having enough resources to use new treatments. The investigators' aim is to test a personalized treatment for dyspnea that can address patients' unique needs while efficiently using healthcare resources to make the treatment as accessible as possible for future widespread use. This project builds upon rhe investigators' prior work creating two promising psychological treatments for dyspnea. The first (a two-session behavioral treatment provided by nurses) targets dyspnea-related discomfort. The second (a five-session psychological treatment provided by psychologists) targets dyspnea-related anxiety and overall health outcomes. The investigators combined these complementary treatments with a stepped-care model into a treatment called INSPIRE. In INSPIRE, all patients will receive the brief treatment to learn basic behavioral coping skills to manage the discomfort of dyspnea before escalating to the more intensive treatment that focuses on providing patients with the confidence to cope with dyspnea and related anxiety, but only if patients' dyspnea does not improve after the first treatment. The investigators will first ask for initial feedback from patients who are receiving INSPIRE for dyspnea and the patients' study clinician to make sure the treatment and study procedures fit their needs. The investigators want to see if this approach can work in patients with lung cancer, is well-received, and shows early signs of improving dyspnea. The investigators' goal is to provide personalized relief for breathing difficulties while making the best use of healthcare resources. These findings will help the investigators learn more about how to support patients with dyspnea and provide information on how to further test INSPIRE. Additionally, this personalized supportive treatment for dyspnea may potentially help reduce the use of opioids currently used in the treatment of dyspnea.
Background: Dyspnea is a debilitating symptom prevalent in more than 80% of patients with lung cancer at diagnosis and is associated with worse quality of life, functioning, and mental health. Unfortunately, current treatments for dyspnea are limited and fail to provide adequate care. Although supportive care interventions are needed, they must be personalized to the patient to address the dyspnea's diverse presentations in a resource-efficient approach, scalable for broad dissemination. The investigators developed two psychological interventions with promising efficacy for dyspnea: the first is a two-session, nurse-led behavioral intervention improving dyspnea-related discomfort, and the second is a five-session, psychologist-led cognitive-behavioral intervention improving dyspnea-related anxiety and other health outcomes. In this proposal, the investigators seek to combine these treatments using a stepped-care approach and pilot test a stepped intervention for dyspnea (INSPIRE) to offer personalized dyspnea care that optimizes healthcare resource utilization.
Specific Aims: 1) Refine INSPIRE and its stepped-care algorithm based on patient and clinician feedback.
Objective/Hypothesis: Patients with lung cancer reporting at least moderate dyspnea are the focus of the study. This first phase of the study aims to refine the study intervention and procedures.
Study Design: The investigators will use an open-pilot study of INSPIRE to gather initial feedback on the intervention (Aim 1). In INSPIRE (delivered in-person or virtually), patients receive BREEZE (Step 1) before escalating to the more intensive TAB (Step 2) if dyspnea does not improve. Qualitative exit interviews with patients will be conducted to inform potential changes. The investigators will refine the intervention and study procedures for the subsequent pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) and for a future pilot RCT.
894 studies on the registry are indexed under Dyspnea; 189 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 10 is below the median of 50 across 587 interventional studies indexed under Dyspnea.
Browse Dyspnea studies →Massachusetts General Hospital is the lead sponsor of 2,586 studies on the registry; 447 are open to participants now.
Of its 222 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 168 (76%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
- no comorbidity prohibiting and study participation per oncologist judgment.
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
a stepped-care cognitive-behavioral based intervention for dyspnea
Behavioral: INSPIRE
a stepped-care cognitive-behavioral based intervention for dyspnea
Qualitative patient feedback
The investigators will collect the qualitative experience of study patients obtained through exit interviews and feedback.
Time frame: 4 months
Plan to share: Undecided
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jul 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Massachusetts General Hospital →