Participants

Eligibility criteria included: advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, English fluency, 18 years of age or older, a plan to be seen at least monthly at an MSKCC GI medical oncology clinic, and a physician-estimated patient life expectancy between 1 and 12 months. Exclusion criteria included psychiatric or cognitive disturbance which, in the physician’s judgment, would preclude informed consent or adequate participation in the interventions.

Given that age (below or above 60 years) and performance status (high [Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0–1] or low [ECOG 2–3]) [2] might potentially influence illness experience and values, we aimed to recruit six patients in each of the four possible categories made up by these two variables (target sample size of 24 total participants). Six patients per group have been postulated [3] to be sufficient in reaching saturation in cognitive interviewing of homogeneous subjects about overarching themes.