MedPath

Shared Decision Making on Immunotherapy in Oncology

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Patient Decision Aid
Treatment As Usual
Interventions
Behavioral: Patient Decision Aid
Registration Number
NCT04240717
Lead Sponsor
University Hospital Heidelberg
Brief Summary

Patients with advanced melanoma are confronted with a serious treatment decision. The current guideline recommends considering the option of immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. The substances approved for this purpose differ greatly in their efficacy and the risk for adverse events. Besides, in about half of the patients with advanced melanoma a BRAF V600 Mutation is found. In these patients, in addition to immunotherapy, treatment with BRAF/MEK inhibitors must be considered.

Research on shared decision making suggests that patients achieve greater satisfaction with the decision if they are actively being involved in the decision-making process. To enable them to do so, an interactive, web-based patient decision aid (PtDA) informing about the treatment options for advanced melanoma will be developed and evaluated in a bicentric, prospective randomized controlled clinical trial.

The use of PtDA is expected to lead to a higher level of information about the benefits and risks of the various treatment options (primary hypothesis).

Detailed Description

Immunotherapies are regarded as a new, promising treatment option for patients with advanced melanoma. However, immunotherapies can cause massive up to life-threatening side effects. The risks and benefits vary considerably between the possible therapy options. Besides, in about half of the patients with advanced melanoma a BRAF V600 Mutation is found. In these patients, in addition to immunotherapy, treatment with BRAF/MEK inhibitors must be considered. This treatment option usually produces a rapid response. In most cases, however, melanomas develop resistance after about 12 months.

Therefore, patients with advanced melanoma and their treating physicians are confronted with a very complex and preference-sensitive decision situation. Support in the form of a Patient Decision Aid (PtDA) can be helpful to support this complex decision-making process.

In the first project phase, an interactive web-based PtDA on treatment options for advanced melanomas will be developed. In the second phase of the project, the PtDA will be evaluated in a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients with a diagnosis of advanced melanoma will be recruited at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg and at the University Cancer Center (UCC) Dresden.

Patients of the intervention group will receive access to the interactive PtDA prior to a medical consultation. Patients of the control group will receive the medical consultation only (treatment-as-usual). Group differences between the intervention group and the control group are analysed at T1 (immediately after the medical consultation) and T2 (three months after the medical consultation). The following variables are measured: informedness of the decision (primary outcome), decision satisfaction, and involvement of the patients in the decision process.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
126
Inclusion Criteria
  • diagnosis of metastatic melanoma (C43), stage 3 and 4
  • first-line therapy
  • tumor or metastases are not resectable
  • sufficient knowledge of the German language to use the PtDA
  • informed written consent to participate in the study
Exclusion Criteria
  • limited legal capacity or impairments in this respect
  • cognitive or physical impairments, which severely complicate the use of the Patient Decision Aid (e.g. impaired vision)
  • severe psychiatric or mental illness

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Patient Decision AidPatient Decision AidPatients review an interactive, web-based Patient Decision Aid regarding their treatment options. Afterwards they receive medical consultation.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Knowledge about different treatment optionsT1 = after intervention (PtDA/TAU); duration of assessment: 10 minutes

Knowledge is assessed by a self-developed multiple choice test assessing knowledge about course, benefits, risks, and mechanisms of actions of different treatment options. Higher scores indicate higher knowledge about treatment options.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Patient involvement in the decision making processduring medical consultation; duration of assessment: approx. 30 minutes

Patient involvement in the decision making process is assessed by the Observer OPTION 5 (min. value: 0, max. value: 20, higher scores indicate higher patient involvement in the decision making process)

Decision satisfactionT1 = after intervention (PtDA/TAU); duration of assessment: 2 minutes

Decision satisfaction is assessed by the Satisfaction with Decision Scale (SwD; min. value: 6, max. value: 30; higher scores indicate higher satisfaction with decision)

Decision satisfaction (follow-up)T2 = approx. 3 months after intervention (PtDA/TAU), before and after being informed about potential tumor progress; duration of assessment: 2 minutes

Decision satisfaction is assessed with the same scale used at T1 (see Outcome 2 for a detailed description)

Knowledge about different treatment options (follow-up)T2: approx. 3 months after intervention (PtDA/TAU), before being informed about potential tumor progress; duration of assessment: 10 minutes

Knowledge is assessed with the same multiple choice test used at T1 (see Outcome 1 for a detailed description).

Choice of treatment optionT1 = after the intervention (PtDA/TAU); duration of assessment: 1 minute

Choice of treatment option is assessed by a self-developed item

Quality of physician-patient interactionT1 = after the intervention (PtDA/TAU); duration of assessment: 2 minutes

Quality of physician-patient interaction is assessed by the Questionnaire on the Quality of Physician-Patient Interaction (QQPPI, min. value: 14, max. value: 70, higher values indicate higher quality of physician-patient interaction)

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

University Hospital Heidelberg

🇩🇪

Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden

🇩🇪

Dresden, Saxony, Germany

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath