Making Sense of Brain Tumour (MAST) program - Prof. Tamara Ownsworth

Image: Professor Tamara Ownsworth, Research Director, The Hopkins Centre together with Julia Robertson, Hopkins Centre Ambassador and Griffith Alumni.

On average each day, 6 Australians are diagnosed with brain and other central nervous system cancers and 4 will die from such diseases. Brain tumour broadly encompasses three subtypes: benign (non-malignant) tumor, lower-grade glioma (less aggressive initially, but risk of progression or recurrence over time) and high-grade glioma (malignant). Compared to other cancers, people with brain tumour typically face greater disease burden and have the largest lifetime cost per person.

Individuals with a brain tumour of any kind experience considerable stress related to their diagnosis and complex neurocognitive impairments which significantly impact their mental health and that of their caregivers. Yet, there is minimal investment directed towards psychosocial care and a lack of research on ways to improve the well-being of these individuals and their families. Current statewide services available for people with cancer in the Queensland context include screening for distress and the delivery of up to five telephone-based support sessions with a nurse counsellor or psychologist. However, these services are not targeted to the specific needs of people with brain tumour who require an extended and specialised psychosocial intervention to address the complex cognitive, behavioural, social and emotional consequences of brain tumour.

In a major step to address this gap, Griffith University and Cancer Council Queensland (CCQ) collaborated in 2010-2013 to conduct the first clinical trial of psychosocial support for people with brain tumour; the Making Sense of Brain Tumour (MAST) program. Delivered face-to-face in people’s homes, this 10-session program (1 session p/w) was found to significantly improve mental health and quality of life (QoL) for people with brain tumour relative to standard care. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25251838/

Our MAST research informed international palliative care guidelines, with the European Association for Neuro-Oncology rating the evidence for the MAST program as higher in quality than pharmacological interventions for mood disorders. Yet, barriers associated with face-to-face therapy in a clinic (e.g. transport, distance, debilitating symptoms) restrict people’s ability to access the MAST program. We therefore trialled the feasibility of remote delivery of the MAST program through the use of video conferencing. As part of a work-integrated learning project, Julia Robertson worked with Professor Tamara Ownsworth to develop a person-centred guide to using Zoom videoconferencing.

Funded by a NHMRC Partnership Grant with Cancer Council Queensland and Metro South Health, we evaluated a telehealth version of MAST (Tele-MAST) with 82 people with brain tumour and their family caregivers. Compared to standard care (5 sessions of telephone-based support), Tele-MAST was four times more likely to reduce levels of depression, and also improved quality of life. Due to the established effectiveness of Tele-MAST, we are now evaluating the nationwide implementation of our program through a MRFF Brain Cancer Survivorship Grant. People living anywhere in Australia who have access to an appropriate device and internet can participate.

People interested in taking part are encouraged to read more about the study and express their interest through the following link. We are recruiting until August 2023.

https://healthcheck.griffith.edu.au/brain-tumour/