Psilocybin-assisted Existential, Attachment and RelationaL (PEARL) Therapy for Patients With Advanced Cancer
This Phase II open-label trial (n=15) will study Psilocybin-assisted Existential, Attachment and Relational (PEARL; 25mg) therapy for patients with advanced cancer.
Details
The PEARL pilot is a phase II, single-group, open-label study evaluating feasibility, acceptability and safety of a single high-dose (25 mg) oral psilocybin session delivered within Psilocybin-assisted Existential, Attachment and RelationaL (PEARL) therapy for patients with advanced cancer.
Participants receive preparatory psychotherapy sessions, one supervised dosing session, and post-session integration. Outcomes include feasibility, adverse events, and changes in depressive and end-of-life distress measures (e.g., PHQ-9).
The study recruits from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Toronto) and is sponsored by University Health Network; eligibility requires English proficiency, expected survival >6 months, and excludes those with uncontrolled medical or psychiatric conditions that increase risk.