Decision support for men with prostate cancer: Concordance between treatment choice and tumor risk

Cancer. 2021 Jan 15;127(2):203-208. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33241. Epub 2020 Oct 29.

Abstract

Background: Decision support tools improve decisional conflict and elicit patient preferences related to prostate cancer treatment. It was hypothesized that men using the Personal Patient Profile-Prostate (P3P) would be more likely to pursue guideline-concordant treatment.

Methods: Men from a trial assessing the P3P decision support intervention were identified. The primary exposure was allocation to P3P (vs usual care), and the outcome was appropriate treatment per guidelines (eg, low risk = active surveillance). It was assessed whether providers recommended against any treatment options (ie, restricted). A multivariable model was fit for men with low-risk cancer that estimated the odds of the outcome of interest.

Results: This study identified 295 men in the cohort: 113 (38%) had low-risk disease, 119 (40%) had favorable intermediate-risk disease, and 63 (21%) had unfavorable intermediate-risk disease. Among low-risk patients, more men pursued active surveillance after using P3P whether they were given unrestricted (62% vs 54% with usual care; P = .54) or restricted options (71% vs 59% with usual care; P = .34). After adjustments, only Black race (odds ratio [OR], 0.31; 95% CI, 0.11-0.89) and restricted options (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.08-0.65) had an inverse association with the receipt of surveillance for patients with low-risk prostate cancer. An impact associated with P3P versus usual care (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.36-2.20) was not observed.

Conclusions: Among men in a trial assessing a decision support tool, Black race and restricted treatment options were associated with less use of active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer. Although the P3P instrument ameliorates decisional conflict, its use was not associated with more appropriate alignment of treatment with disease risk.

Keywords: active surveillance; decision making; decision support techniques; prostate cancer; risk.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Black People
  • Choice Behavior*
  • Decision Support Techniques*
  • Delivery of Health Care / methods
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Compliance / psychology*
  • Patient Preference / psychology*
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic
  • Prospective Studies
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / ethnology
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / psychology*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Risk Assessment