The CHAMP Study: Couples Health after Transplant in Multiple Myeloma Patients
Being an individual with Multiple Myeloma and receiving transplants can be a challenging experience. This study will investigate how an important multiple myeloma treatment, a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, hereafter referred to as transplant, affects the immune system, physical functioning, and mental health. Participants will be patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma and their spouses or partners ("caregivers"). This study also focuses on how the demands of transplant caregiving affect the spouse or partner's immune system, physical functioning, cognition, and mental health.
If you would like to participate in this study, please contact us. We would be very happy to discuss our research and give you more specific information. If you have any questions, feel free to call Girish Rajgolikar at 614-814-0529 or email us at CAREResearch@osumc.edu. Read our consent form and the HIPAA privacy policy (pdf).
If you know someone who might want to participate, please give them our contact information - we welcome referrals!
Who does the study involve?
You can participate in the CHAMP study as a Multiple Myeloma patient receiving a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and as a caregiver in the form of a partner/spouse of the patient. A total of 300 participants (150 couples) will be enrolled in this study. Both the patient and partner/spouse must consent to be part of the study.
If you participate in the CHAMP Study, you will have four visits over the course of three years: one visit before the transplant, and three visits after the transplant. Your second visit will be planned about 100 days after discharge from your transplant, the third visit about a year after your transplant, and a final visit a year after that. Each appointment will last between 1-1.5 hours, where blood samples will be drawn, and you will participate in interviews, questionnaires, and physical performance tests. These visits may be done in person at your oncologist’s office or at The James Center at The Ohio State University, and some may occur remotely via telephone and email address, such as surveys and questionnaires.
Who is eligible to be in the study?
You may be eligible for this study if:
- You have been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and have a caregiver or spouse living with you for at least 2 years.
- You must be planning to receive a hematopoietic stem cell transplant at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
You may not be eligible for this study if:
- You do not proceed with the transplant, in which case both you and your partner will be taken off the study.
- This is not the first time you have received this transplant.
- You or your partner have any impairment in decision making, medical or psychiatric conditions that could make the study procedures difficult.
- You have been diagnosed with AL amyloidosis, monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS), or POEMS syndrome; or your partner is undergoing active cancer treatment or has acute comorbid treatment or conditions or recent stroke.
Will I be paid for participating?
You and your eligible caregiver/spouse will each receive $50.00 for your time for your first and second visits, $60.00 for your third visit, and $65.00 for your fourth visit, for a total of $225.
Who are the investigators?
Our investigators are scientists and physicians at the Ohio State University, with a joint venture of the James Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research and the School of Public Health.