Experience of Having Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

For Patient: If you agree to take part in this study, you will be asked to take part in 1 interview. During the interview, you will be asked to describe what it has been like for you to have chronic GVHD. In addition, if you agree to take part in this study, your family caregiver, if you have one, will be approached to take part in the study. For Caregiver: If you agree to take part in this study, you will be asked to take part in 1 interview. During the interview, you will be asked to describe what it has been like for you to help care for a family member with chronic GVHD. Both Parties: The interview face-to-face will take place while you are at M. D. Anderson receiving care. You will be interviewed alone and the information gathered during the interview will be strictly confidential. The interview will take about 30 minutes and will be tape recorded. The audiotape of the interview will be kept in a locked cabinet in the office of the study chairperson Dr. Loretta Williams. If other study personnel need the tape for analysis, they must obtain the tape directly from Dr. Williams. They may keep the tape only while they are listening to it and must return it immediately to Dr. Williams. Identification labels on the tape will only contain your study number and will not contain your name, medical record number, or other identifying information. When all analysis for the study has been completed and reported, the audiotape will be destroyed. After the interview, you will be asked to answer a face-to-face questionnaire. This questionnaire will ask descriptive personal information (age, marital status, etc.). Answering these questions should take about 5 minutes. Your participation on this study ends after you complete the interview and questionnaire. This is an investigational study. About 20 patients and 20 caregivers will take part in this study. All will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson. For Patient - Phase III: If you agree to take part in this study, you will be asked to complete 1 questionnaire. The questionnaire will have questions asking you to rate how severe your current symptoms are and how much these symptoms disrupt your daily activities. You will be asked to complete this questionnaire during your clinic visit. The questionnaire will take no more than 10 minutes to complete. If you have chronic graft-versus-host disease, you will be asked to complete a second questionnaire about your opinion of the symptom questionnaire (the first questionnaire). For example, you will be asked if the symptom questionnaire was easy to understand and to complete. Learning your opinion about this questionnaire will help researchers learn what important questions may be missing from the questionnaire. The questionnaire will take no more than 10 minutes to complete. If you have chronic graft-versus-host disease, you will also be given questions asking you to rate the overall quality of your life and your ability to function. These ratings should take no more than 2 minutes to complete. Finally, you will be asked to answer a questionnaire. This questionnaire will ask descriptive personal information (such as age and marital status). Answering these questions should take about 5 minutes. If you have chronic GVHD, you may be asked to fill out the questionnaire rating your symptoms 1 more time, about 3 days after you completed it the first time. You will return this second questionnaire to the research staff in a pre-addressed, stamped envelope given to you by the research staff. If you are asked to complete the questionnaire this second time, the research staff will also ask for your telephone number so that they may contact you and remind you to complete the questionnaire. Identification labels on all study questionnaires and forms will only contain your study number and will not contain your name, medical record number, or other identifying information. All study materials will be kept in a locked cabinet at all times. When all analysis for the study has been completed and reported, the questionnaires will be destroyed. The study ends when you have completed the questionnaires, rating scales, and interview in the clinic, or when you have completed and returned the second questionnaire 3 days after your clinic visit. This is an investigational study. Up to 192 patients will take part in this study. 147 will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson and 45 will be enrolled at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.