MedPath

PAtient-PHYsician Relationship Assessment

Completed
Conditions
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Registration Number
NCT05729230
Lead Sponsor
Erasme University Hospital
Brief Summary

I) Introduction Patients with cancer face difficult choices that require balancing competing priorities such as survival, functional capacity and symptom relief. Most patients with advanced cancer (\>80%) expect frank yet sensitive discussions with their physicians about prognosis and treatment choices in order to be involved in the decision-making process. Nevertheless, this kind of discussion is frequently lacking, and consequently, patients often have a biased view of their own prognosis such as an underestimation of disease severity, or unrealistic expectations for cure.

Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may be treated with systemic therapies which may prolong survival but are not curative. Patients with advanced HCC often report expectations for survival and treatment-related side effects that differ from their treating physician. Accordingly, communication on prognostic and treatment choices is essential to obtain an accurate understanding of the disease that allows patients to make informed decisions. To the best of our knowledge, a thorough evaluation of the physician-patient communication quality has never been performed in advanced HCC patients.

The aim of our study is to assess the perception of the expected prognosis and treatment side effects by the patient and his physician during the first consultation before the initiation of a new systemic therapy.

II) Type of study:

Prospective, observational, non-interventional multicentric study

III) Outcomes III.1) Primary Outcome Evaluate the concordance between the patient's perception of his prognosis and treatment side effects with the one of his treating physician.

III.2) Secondary Outcomes

* Compare the patient's expectations for the aforementioned items to those of his physician and the degree of concordance between them.

* Evaluation of patient satisfaction with the information received during the consultation

* Assessment of patient-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression

* Evaluate the association between individual prognosis expectation (i.e., patient and physician) and data from the available literature.

IV) Recruitment All consecutive patients with a new systemic treatment prescribed for HCC in participating centres will be included for a period of 1 year.

Detailed Description

Patients with cancer face difficult choices that require balancing competing priorities such as survival, functional capacity and symptom relief. Most patients with advanced cancer (\>80%) expect frank yet sensitive discussions with their physicians about prognosis and treatment choices in order to be involved in the decision-making process. Nevertheless, this kind of discussion is frequently lacking, and consequently, patients often have a biased view of their own prognosis such as an underestimation of disease severity, or unrealistic expectations for cure.

Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may be treated with systemic therapies which may prolong survival but are not curative. Patients with advanced HCC often report expectations for survival and treatment-related side effects that differ from their treating physician. Accordingly, communication on prognostic and treatment choices is essential to obtain an accurate understanding of the disease that allows patients to make informed decisions. To the best of our knowledge, a thorough evaluation of the physician-patient communication quality has never been performed in advanced HCC patients.

The aim of our study is to assess the perception of the expected prognosis and treatment side effects by the patient and his physician during the first consultation before the initiation of a new systemic therapy.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
50
Inclusion Criteria
  • diagnose of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma by histology or radiology using the EASL criteria
  • ≥ 18 years old
  • willing to participate in the study, being capable of consenting and sign the informed consent
  • not candidate for curative treatment or locoregional therapy
  • any line systemic therapy that has been validated by the local hepatic tumor board.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Locoregional treatment combined with systemic treatment
  • Pregnancy in progress
  • Candidate for surgery or locoregional therapy
  • Patient with state medical aid (AME)

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Perception of prognosis and treatment side effects12 months

Evaluate the concordance between the patient's perception of his prognosis and treatment side effects with the one of his treating physician. Use of survey completed by the patient and the doctors to assess the primary endpoint

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Compare the patient's expectations for the aforementioned items to those of his physician and the degree of concordance between them.12 months

Use of survey completed by the patient and the doctors to assess the primary endpoint

Assessment of patient-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression12 months

Use of survey completed by the patient and the doctors to assess the primary endpoint

Evaluate the association between individual prognosis expectation (i.e., patient and physician) and data from the available literature.12 months

Use of survey completed by the patient and the doctors to assess the primary endpoint

Evaluation of patient satisfaction with the information received during the consultation12 months

Use of survey completed by the patient and the doctors to assess the primary endpoint

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University Hospital Brussels

🇧🇪

Brussels, Belgium

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