SEATTLE, Wash. – Could psilocybin bring some relief from anxiety and depression to people diagnosed with metastatic cancer?

That as a question University of Washington researchers hope to answer with a new trial.

UW Medicine oncologist and palliative-care specialist Dr. Anthony Back says a serious diagnosis presents patients with extreme emotional burdens.

He is leading a study of patients in a group setting using the psychedelic compound found in some species of mushrooms to counteract worries about death and loss of life’s meaning.

He says the hope is that it will help patients live in the moment without having to pretend they are not ill.