Psychological and Emotional Impact in Patients Undergoing Treatment For Metastatic Cancer Either in a Clinical Trial or as Standard Off-Trial Therapy

RATIONALE: Gathering information from patients who received treatment for metastatic cancer while participating in a phase II or phase III randomized clinical trial and from patients receiving standard treatment off-trial may help doctors learn more about the psychological and emotional results of being in a clinical trial.
PURPOSE: This clinical trial is comparing the psychological and emotional impact of participating in a randomized clinical trial with the impact of standard treatment in patients with metastatic cancer.