Getting better results with “GET” therapy for young adult testicular cancer survivors

UCI collaboration shows the benefits of a cancer survivor therapy intervention

Testicular Cancer

Young adults who beat cancer face unique challenges later on in their adult lives. These include both psychological and physical impacts, such as body image disruption, social relationship difficulty, fertility and sexual distress, anxiety, depression and fear of cancer recurrence. With testicular cancer being among the most prevalent non-skin cancer among males in late adolescence and early adulthood, this community of patients need increased attention. 

Associate professor of population health and disease prevention, Michael Hoyt, PhD, developed new behavioral therapy that he and his collaborators suggest could provide much needed support to young adult testicular cancer survivors. Their research is published in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

In a randomized, controlled trial, 75 eligible young adult testicular cancer survivors either received the Goal-focused Emotion-regulation Therapy (GET) or supportive listening therapy. GET is a six-session intervention aimed to enhance self-regulation through improved goal navigation skills, improved sense of meaning and purpose, and better ability to regulate specific emotional responses. Those who received the GET intervention had less depressive and anxiety symptoms compared to those receiving supportive listening, and these gains continued 3-months later. 

Our ultimate goal is to see our young adult cancer survivors thrive and if our intervention can reduce adverse outcomes then there is promise.”

Michael Hoyt, PhD

“Our findings about GET are very encouraging. We will now focus on testing this intervention on a much larger scale to improve psychosocial function in this underserved cancer survivor group,” says Hoyt who is the study’s corresponding author. “Our ultimate goal is to see our young adult cancer survivors thrive and if our intervention can reduce adverse outcomes then there is promise.” 

Hoyt goes on to say, “not only are young adults in need of developmentally-targeted interventions, but it is imperative to improve the evidence-base on how to serve the psychological and emotional needs of men.”

This research follows an earlier pilot study conducted by Hoyt in 2021 on the same approach.

Additional UCI team members include Raymond Carrillo Ceja, a junior research specialist in the Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention and Michael Daneshvar, MD, in the Department of Urology. Other team members include Ashley Wei-Ting Wang, PhD, from Soochow University, Jennifer Cheavens, PhD, from Ohio State University, Darren Feldman, MD, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, Samuel Funt, MD, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, and Christian Nelson, PhD, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.