Due to varied periods of decline among patients, previous research indicates that it is difficult to develop treatment options for patients who have relapsed DLBCL. This holds true especially when the patient is not eligible for a transplant.
Research on the subject was presented at the Society of Hematologic Oncology’s 2022 Annual Meeting. Most patients who participated in this study, which was reported recently in the Hematology Advisor, expressed satisfaction with their treatment experience.
For the study, the researchers analyzed decision-making among caregivers and clinicians involved in treating patients with DLBCL. There have been previous indications that when caregiver and patient preferences are taken into consideration, as well as educational tools, patient involvement and satisfaction have improved.
Shared Decision vs. Informed Consent
Shared decision-making may be considered a conversation between the patient and the oncologist resulting in an agreement about treatment.
Informed consent sets out options selected by the oncologist for the patient. The patient then must consent to or decline the treatment.
About the Study
A total of thirty eligible patients enrolled. Among these patients were fourteen individuals who had been treated with a minimum of two lines of therapy in the last five years.
Participants included eight caregivers and eight oncologists. Fifty percent of patients were over fifty years old while eighty-seven percent of caregivers were fifty years of age or older. Seventy-nine percent of the group was white.
Each patient was interviewed for one hour. It was determined that the shock of the diagnosis and treatment failure precluded caregivers and their patients from involvement in the patient’s treatment decisions. Seventy-one percent of patients were of the opinion that they were not sufficiently included in decisions regarding their treatment options. Similar opinions were expressed by thirty-eight percent of their caregivers.
In many instances, a standard of care has been established or there may be limited treatment options. In these cases, clinicians agree that having barriers that preclude patients from decision-making is reasonable.
However, when a patient is in the second or third stage of treatment, it is believed that the patient is in a better position to be more involved with treatment decisions.
Seventy-one percent of patients had been given educational materials by their oncologists. Only a small percentage of these patients indicated other concerns that they felt should have been addressed in the literature. The majority appeared to be satisfied with their experience, while some patients felt they would have preferred a more personalized form of treatment.
