METHODS: An online survey was co-developed with patient advocates to explore respondents\' experiences of breast cancer treatment. Questions included simple demographics, treatments received, and views regarding omitting treatments if that is deemed safe. The survey was circulated via social media and patient advocacy groups. Responses were summarized by using simple statistics; free text was analyzed thematically.
RESULTS: Of the 235 participants completing the survey, 194 (82.6%) would choose to omit a specific treatment if safe to do so. The most commonly selected treatments were chemotherapy (n = 69, 35.6%) and endocrine therapy (n = 61, 31.4%) mainly due to side effects. Fewer respondents would choose to omit surgery (n = 40, 20.6%) or radiotherapy (n = 20, 10.3%). Several women commented that survival was their \"absolute priority\" and that high-quality evidence to support the safety of reducing treatment would be essential.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with breast cancer are individuals who may wish to optimize different components of their treatment. A portfolio of studies co-designed with patients is needed to establish an evidence base for greater treatment personalization with studies focused on reducing avoidable chemotherapy and endocrine therapy a priority.
方法:与患者倡导者共同开发了一项在线调查,以探索受访者对乳腺癌治疗的经验。问题包括简单的人口统计,接受治疗,以及关于在认为安全的情况下省略治疗的意见。该调查通过社交媒体和患者倡导团体分发。通过使用简单的统计数据来总结响应;对自由文本进行主题分析。
结果:在完成调查的235名参与者中,如果安全的话,194(82.6%)会选择省略特定的治疗方法。最常选择的治疗方法是化疗(n=69,35.6%)和内分泌治疗(n=61,31.4%),主要是由于副作用。更少的受访者会选择省略手术(n=40,20.6%)或放疗(n=20,10.3%)。几位妇女评论说,生存是他们的“绝对优先”,高质量的证据来支持减少治疗的安全性将是必不可少的。
结论:乳腺癌患者是可能希望优化其治疗的不同组成部分的个体。需要与患者共同设计的研究组合,以建立更多个性化治疗的证据基础,重点是减少可避免的化疗和内分泌治疗的研究。