scholarly journals Editorial: Gene Expression Profile Assays As an Aid in Treatment Decision Making in Early-Stage Breast Cancer

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 187-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary H. Lyman
2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (27_suppl) ◽  
pp. 227-227
Author(s):  
Valerie Lawhon ◽  
Rebecca England ◽  
Audrey S. Wallace ◽  
Courtney Williams ◽  
Stacey A. Ingram ◽  
...  

227 Background: Shared decision-making (SDM) occurs when both patient and provider are involved in the treatment decision-making process. SDM allows patients to understand the pros and cons of different treatments while also helping them select the one that aligns with their care goals when multiple options are available. This qualitative study sought to understand different factors that influence early-stage breast cancer (EBC) patients’ approach in selecting treatment. Methods: This cross-sectional study included women with stage I-III EBC receiving treatment at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 2017-2018. To understand SDM preferences, patients completed the Control Preferences Scale and a short demographic questionnaire. To understand patient’s values when choosing treatment, semi-structured interviews were conducted to capture patient preferences for making treatment decisions, including surgery, radiation, or systemic treatments. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo. Two coders analyzed transcripts using a constant comparative method to identify major themes related to decision-making preferences. Results: Amongst the 33 women, the majority of patients (52%) desired shared responsibility in treatment decisions. 52% of patients were age 75+ and 48% of patients were age 65-74, with an average age of 74 (4.2 SD). 21% of patients were African American and 79% were Caucasian. Interviews revealed 19 recurrent treatment decision-making themes, including effectiveness, disease prognosis, physician and others’ opinions, side effects, logistics, personal responsibilites, ability to accomplish daily activities or larger goals, and spirituality. EBC patient preferences varied widely in regards to treatment decision-making. Conclusions: The variety of themes identified in the analysis indicate that there is a large amount of variability to what preferences are most crucial to patients. Providers should consider individual patient needs and desires rather than using a “one size fits all” approach when making treatment decisions. Findings from this study could aid in future SDM implementations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (30_suppl) ◽  
pp. 225-225
Author(s):  
Sarah T. Hawley ◽  
Larry An ◽  
Yun Li ◽  
Reshma Jagsi ◽  
Steven J. Katz

225 Background: Decision making for adjuvant chemotherapy is increasingly complicated for women with a new diagnosis of early stage breast cancer. Few decision tools are designed to help support informed systemic treatment decision-making, by improving knowledge and decision quality. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a tailored, comprehensive (locoregional and systemic treatment) and interactive decision tool (iCanDecide), compared with static online information. 537 newly diagnosed, early stage breast cancer patients were enrolled from 22 surgical practices. Participants were surveyed 5 weeks (N = 496; RR 92%) and those eligible for systemic treatment (N = 358) again at 9 months (N = 307; RR 88%). The main outcome for this analysis was knowledge about systemic treatment using 4 true/false items, categorized into high (3- 4 correct) vs. low (0-2 correct). We also assessed subjective decision quality (SDQ) for chemotherapy on a 5-point scale and dichotomized into high (4-5) vs. low (1-3) We evaluated the distribution of participants in each arm, and assessed the association between the study arm and the outcomes using bivariate and multivariable approaches. Results: Of the 358 respondents, 201 did not receive or intend to have chemotherapy. Significantly more intervention than control patients had high knowledge about systemic treatment (52.9% vs. 39.9%, p = 0.012). Overall SDQ for chemotherapy was slightly higher in intervention than control subjects (mean 4.8 vs. 4.6, p = 0.08). However, among women who did not receive chemotherapy, significantly more intervention subjects reported high SDQ than controls (87.1% vs. 75.2%, p = 0.06). Values significantly related to chemotherapy use included avoiding side effects, continuing to work, and being most extensive possible. Conclusions: We found that the interactive decision tool contributed significantly to higher knowledge about systemic treatment among eligible patients. We further found the tool shows promise for improving subjective decision quality, particularly in patients who choose not to have chemotherapy. Further work to integrate tools into the oncology clinical setting is needed. Clinical trial information: NCT01840163.


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