# Defining the Role of Palliative care for Patients with Hematologic Malignancies Undergoing Adoptive Cellular Therapy

> **NIH NIH K08** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2024 · $293,053

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Adoptive cellular therapies (ACT) such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy are complex treatments for
patients with hematologic malignancies. Patients receiving ACT can experience life-threatening toxicities, which
result in tremendous symptom burden and creates substantial burden for their caregivers. Moreover, patients
receiving ACT experience intense healthcare utilization at the end of life (EOL) with 50% dying in the hospital.
Thus, interventions are needed to optimize the quality of life (QOL) and EOL care for patients receiving ACT and
improve the QOL of their caregivers. Prior studies have shown that involving specialty palliative care (PC)
clinicians in the care of patients with solid tumors and hematologic malignancies improves a wide range of
outcomes for patients and their caregivers. Yet PC clinicians are rarely consulted in the care of patients receiving
ACT. Furthermore, these patients have unique needs and illness trajectory and prior PC interventions in
oncology are not tailored for this population. We recently completed a longitudinal study to comprehensively
delineate the needs of patients receiving ACT and utilized these data to develop a PC intervention (PEACE)
tailored to this population. This proposal details a five-year plan to refine and pilot test PEACE to address the
unmet needs of patients receiving ACT and their caregivers. Specifically, the aims of this project are to 1) refine
PEACE based on findings from an open pilot study (N=15) of patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing
ACT and their caregivers; 2) determine the feasibility and acceptability of PEACE by conducting a pilot
randomized controlled trial (RCT) (N = 80), and 3) explore the preliminary effects of PEACE for improving the
QOL, physical and psychological symptoms, prognostic understanding, and EOL communication of patients
receiving ACT and the QOL, psychological symptoms, and prognostic understanding of their caregivers. This
work will lay the foundation to demonstrate the role of PC for improving the quality of care and lived experience
of patients receiving ACT.
This proposal also details the plans of the candidate, Dr. P. Connor Johnson, a medical oncologist physician-
investigator specializing in ACT, to gain mentorship, didactic training, and career development to facilitate his
transition to research independence. Dr. Johnson’s long-term career goal is to become a leader in supportive
care oncology research, specializing in developing and evaluating interventions to improve the QOL and care of
patients receiving ACT. This proposal includes Dr. Johnson’s plans for gaining expertise in 1) refining and testing
supportive care interventions; 2) adapting PC interventions to the unique needs of patients receiving ACT and
their caregivers; and 3) conducting and evaluating outcomes in supportive care clinical trials. He will achieve this
training through experiential learning leading the proposed project with guidance from...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10807436
- **Project number:** 1K08CA279772-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Patrick Connor Johnson
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $293,053
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-16 → 2029-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10807436

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10807436, Defining the Role of Palliative care for Patients with Hematologic Malignancies Undergoing Adoptive Cellular Therapy (1K08CA279772-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10807436. Licensed CC0.

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